Of War
by AnnoyingCatBanquet
Summary: Azeroth has never been completely at peace. For this fact, a young night elf hunter, Hyleana Starfall, wishes for peace and seclusion from both the ongoing wars and even her own people But as she finds out, it is not always easy to carve your own fate.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This will be a much different fanfiction than other's that I have written. This is mainly because this has to do with original characters and an original storyline, which is something I am not used to. Along with this, it will be one of my longest fanfictions, which I'm sure you'll find out. It will most definitely outlive A Cat's Tail, by far, and perhaps it will be longer than I myself had anticipated. So if you think you're nearing the end, chances are you're not. :) Hope you guys like this I put a lot of work into it. HOWEVER: Side Note: There may be some confusion on traditions. I've read most of WOW's books, but not all, so if something is amiss I'm really sorry! I'm trying to show some of the differences between the factions and races to the best of my ability. If something is missing please feel free to PM or review! I hope that explains a little bit for those of you who follow the lore. :) **

Chapter One

Hyleana looked through the dark blue leaves growing off the pale barked trees; her prey was locked in her sights. She knew she could hit it; there was no doubt in her mind. The moongraze stag was nibbling on lush grass only a few feet away from her. She thought nothing, but she could feel everything in that moment; the land spoke to her, her senses heightened, her prey's heartbeat was her own. She positioned herself slightly, ready to kill. In a rush, she let her arrow soar through the air and hit her mark.

The white stag cried out as the arrow hit his throat, a second hitting his knee. The creature toppled over as Hyleana rushed over to its side. Pulling out her knife she swiftly slit its throat. "Thank you, my friend. You will feed Haru and I, and for that, I pray for you." She whispered. Pulling back her bright teal hair, she whistled for her saber to come. Scanning the area, she wondered where he might have gone to hunt for himself; no matter how many hunting trips they took together, Haru was always greedy and enjoyed picking on small creatures such as squirrels and mice.

A white frost saber rushed out from the nearby undergrowth. He was silent enough, yet Hyleana taunted, "If you rush like that, you'll awaken the whole island!" The night elf stared at her companion with laughing silver eyes. Her light blue-tinted skin seemed to glow under the moonlight and she knew she was too far out in the open.

Looking up at the night sky, she felt a slight sense of unease. Back at home, Ashenvale's thick canopy blocked out most of the sky's scene. Being out in the open like this was significantly different. When her eyes drifted over the full moon, she felt a sense of guilt.

Night elves have a specific system in terms of gender, although it is not mandatory to follow nor frowned upon to deviate; men tend to stick to the roles of druids while the women tend to become sentinels or priestesses. Hyleana's family had a rich lineage of women who'd played the roll of priestesses; she had chosen to deviate from that path after years of merely being a helper in the temples. Her mother had not been pleased in any case; despite their society's views of women hunters, her mother's personal views felt that this stray was a sign of disrespect.

While Hyleana couldn't say that she was ashamed of the path she'd chosen in terms of her mother, she did feel as though Elune's light had shined dimly on her since her finalized choice had been made. She wondered if her goddess was disappointed in her choice or if she'd chosen the wrong path.

But it was too late to change her mind now. Here she was on Azuremyst Isle; alone with only her frost saber, Haru, to accompany her. She did not feel anymore lonely here than she did in her own home; the only difference she found was that at least here she was happy. The draenei had been more than kind to her. They had offered her stay at the Exodar, but she had refused. "I enjoy being close to nature and Elune." She explained. "May that feeling never leave your side." Said a woman in her musical accent.

Now back at her small camp, Haru curled up next to the fire for a short nap before dinner while Hyleana worked on skinning and cooking the meal, leaving raw chunks of meat for Haru. She thought of many things that night, most including her home and her past. She was right where she wanted to be; somewhere she could build from. She'd chosen this island as her first destination for a few simple reasons; it was a small start with cheap sailing fair and its inhabitants were new, yet at least it had some ruminants of home. Stormwind, she felt, would have to wait. It was simply too big and she didn't know how she could handle the culture shock of so many races clumped into one city.

Being a sheltered elf helped no one, she thought to herself as she prodded the burning wood under a large hunk of meat with a stick. "You should be careful." She recalled the words that the same female draenei that had welcomed her stated. "This island has had a few different issues as of late... Blood elves have been sighted on the island. More concerning, we've had reports of muggings and murders close to the Exodar..."

Bandits were lowly creatures, Hyleana felt. Killing or harming someone for their money was a sick and lazy excuse of a life. However, her feelings didn't change the potency of their existence nor how she had to keep her guard up, not that she ever dropped it.

Dinner had been good; the one useful skill her mother had taught her was how to cook. Being a night elf suited her well for she stayed up during the darkest of hours as a deadly predator does. She knew the sun would come up soon, and she knew her sleep was a priority if she were to survive on her own. Pushing her left overs into a satchel, she laid on Haru's soft belly and closed her eyes to rest.

It was early morning, the sun now fully exposed in the sky. His eyes were locked on his target. _What night elf is so foolish that she feels so safe to sleep out in the open? She should know better. _A smile curved around his lips. She'd be completely open for the taking. He'd seen her campfire late in the night and had found it not far from his own campsite. The only difference was that he was much more careful and she was in much more trouble now due to lack of efficiency.

He stepped a little closer to get a closer look as to where he should attack. But as soon as he took that step, the large white head of her saber snapped up and turned around to peer in his direction. His eyes widened; he had seen the beast, but not taken into account it's probable strength. From behind, it looked much weaker then what he saw. It's large, menacing jaw complimented it's fierce blue eyes. For a moment, he thought the creature could actually see him from his position. If that saber were to sound an alarm now, he wouldn't have enough coverage to make an escape. Not to mention that without a fully executed plan in mind, he may not stand a chance against his current enemy.

A low growl rumbled in the frost saber's throat to the point where the stranger could hear the deep, terrifying sound. No... Now he knew that he needed to retreat as soon as possible and return with a plan, if he even dared. _No wonder that night elf feels so confident..._ he thought in mockery.

"Haru, what's wrong?" he heard a surprisingly soft voice come from the awakened elf. She raised her head to look at her creature. He felt his face redden; she was surprisingly beautiful. He shook his full head of blonde hair. _Get your head together Lorus... Night elves are not a beautiful race. They are cowards for not utilizing the magic at their very feet._ He recited to himself as though brainwashed by the common social norm of blood elves.

The female tousled her long teal hair and yawned. He dared to peer closer. "If anyone's out there," she called out into the forest. "Haru is as good a hunter as I am. And we both enjoy our sleep. Come back later or prepare to become his meal for the night."

His eyes widened; she'd known he was there? A frown formed on his face, this was to demeaning for a blood elf of his stature. But he was not stupid; he could see this was a fight he'd loose. While he could leave now and find new prey, he wanted nothing more than to see this female's head on a stick. He'd be back and with a formulated plan to kill her. _Rest peacefully night elf, for tonight you shall pay for this..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

She awoke later in the evening as the sun was going down. "Haru, do you believe our guest from earlier will arrive?" she asked her saber. He responded with a deep growl of understanding. "It'll be fine. Perhaps it is the lowly bandit the draenei warned us about."

"Lowly? You dare consider me beneath you? Have you no idea what race you place your filthy words upon?" a voice called from somewhere in the trees. Hyleana could already pinpoint where the voice was coming from, but she looked around slowly, pretending to be clueless for her attacker's sake. "Blood elf." She hissed.

He opened his eyes widely again; she was very accurate. "You're smart, but not enough to defeat me." Hyleana glanced up into the trees slightly; she knew he was perched in one. "Only one race would have the audacity to put themselves above the rest. Your head is so consumed in vain that you'll stand no chance against me." Bow ready at her side, she knew she could defeat this menace. "And mind you, I called you lowly for being a bandit. Not for your people, even if they are conceited and engrossed with magic."

He was perched in a tree a mere jump away from her. He could see her beast circling at her heals, but her face was turned away from him. _She's prepared. _He analyzed. Her muscles were flexing slightly under her pale skin and her foot looked as though it was about to pivot her in his direction. _Don't tell me she's already found my location..._ He worried for a moment, knowing that now he would have to jump headlong into battle without executing a perfect plan.

He jumped from his tree and landed lightly on the ground. She spun, her bow ready to shoot an arrow perfectly through his head. Haru got in his hunter's crouch with ease, but the bandit was also ready; his daggers in both hands and his bandana covering everything except for his green eyes. His movements were swift and he dodged Haru's swipes, going directly for Hyleana. She shot her arrow, but his armor blocked it. She felt his dagger swipe across her side, leaving a slight cut to draw blood. He turned to look at his fallen pray.

The sun was ablaze as though it was a fire on the ocean, and as it's flames hit her angry silver eyes, he felt a strange twinge in his soul. "D-die!" he cried out, tackling her to the ground. He had only enough time to recognize that this night elf was rather small; normally the night elf race was physically larger than the blood elves. But this one appeared to be weaker, almost frailer. Despite this, however, her beast was the winner this time; it's weight crushing the both of them as it sunk it's large fangs into his left shoulder and hauling him off it's owner.

Hyleana was breathless from the impact, but after a few stunning moments, she regained the ability to get up and fight back. Haru had pinned the target to the ground and was growling dangerously close to his face. "You will be making a big mistake killing me, night elf!" he hissed. "You are the one who wanted me dead, why would I be mistaken?"

"My father is commanding the blood elven army that has invaded this sickening island! If you kill me, you risk you and you're... _Creature's_ lives!" he called in fury. "Ah, calling for your father? I don't believe you." She sneered. "Why would the son of a general stoop to being some bandit?"

The male was quiet for a few moments. _Either he is bluffing in hopes I'll let him go from intimidation, or he's telling the truth and he's been abandoned._ She concluded. She walked slowly over to the blood elf, her bow poised to strike. He looked away from her face, his own flushed with stress from Haru's heavy tote on his chest. He had a full head of short, shaggy blonde hair with one long braid coming down from the side, and while his mask covered the bottom of his face, she could not say that he was an unattractive creature from what she saw, as most elves were.

He refused to look at her face, he knew she was only intimidating him. What he absolutely could not let her know was that he was a bandit for the simple reason that he was scared of the position his father had offered him in rank, and ultimately drove him to run away from the base camp.

No, if she found out he was a weakling and a coward she would have reason to degrade all his people in conversation and then kill him, giving him no honor nor pride. He would not answer her questions. "I would kill you, but I have a better idea." She said suddenly. Her saber looked at her as though it was confused by her 'sudden change of heart'. He forced himself to look into her silver eyes in astonishment. "What purpose do you have for my life?" he asked. "You're holding me hostage?"

"No, I care not about that. If I did that, I could never live in peace on this island again. But you do need to repent for those you've hurt. Are you not the one who's mugged the draenei in this area?" she inquired. His glare could have been as sharp as the daggers he had wielded moments before. She sighed and walked over to the very same daggers that had been previously knocked out of his hands. "I'll take you hostility as a yes." She picked up the discarded weapons.

"Do not touch those you lowly creature! They are my property!" He snapped at her. "Relax, I'm only picking them up for you." She rolled her eyes at his impatience. As she stood over him, remarking the craftsmanship of his daggers, he regarded her height again. "Are you a half-elf?" he asked her in confusion.

"What sort of question is that in your situation?" she responded. "It only makes sense! You look full night elf, but in reality you must be even more of an abomination!" Her silver eyes grew wide adopting a look of fury and irritation. "I am a full night elf!" She walked over to one of her bags and shuffled in it. While he could not fully understand her language, despite Darnassian and Thalassian sharing similarities, he could tell she was upset over the things he'd said. She came back with rope and used the blunt end of his own dagger to knock him out.

When he opened his eyes again, he was tied up a tree with blood trickling down the side of his his head. He tried to move, but it was futile for she'd tied her knots with expertise. His monstrous green eyes were filled with hatred as he scoured for his capturer. She was nowhere to be found, but her hideous monstrosity of a pet was sitting not to far away from him, snoring in deep sleep. He cursed in his native tongue and decided struggling was futile, he'd have to wait for the night elf to return.

The blood on his forehead was already dried by the time she appeared through the trees. The moon was high in the sky, close to midnight if he had to guess, and he could tell that she'd come back alone. "You did not bring those filthy blue animals?" he sneered. She did not hesitate, and instantly hit him across the face. "I have no time for your insults. And no, I have not yet told the draenei just yet."

"Lying to your comrades? I must say, I like this side of you." He mocked. She looked at him, her eyes intense, and said something in her language that he could not understand. "I don't understand when you speak scum, you fool. Our languages have not clashed in years." She rolled her eyes. She had really been talking to herself, stating, "_This man has no business living. How in the name of Elune is he the son of a leader?_" She would determine if that were a fact or not.

Sighing, she sat down in front of him. "You were not lying that you are a bandit. I know that much. But what I do not know is whether or not you're the one killing the draenei and looting them after."

"Do you have faith in me?"

"I do not carry faith for those whom have none for themselves." She said without missing a beat. His eyes registered something in her words, and he looked down shamefully. "What sort of sorceress are you?" he asked. "I only know these things because you tell me in a much more basic language." Her voice was cold and factual.

"Well then you have misinterpreted much, night elf. I'm to blame for the killings."

'You are not harsh enough to commit these crimes, I see it in your eyes. Who you really are is written in your skin." He looked up into her silver orbs. "You do not know me." He hissed through gritted teeth. "Why are you willing to die for the real culprit?" She looked at him inquisitively, giving away nothing in her face. "Have the blood elven people gone so astray that holding the title of murderer is an honor?"

"You have no right to speak of us! You have disregarded the meaning of true power and all it's glories!"

"Then my people were right; those who seek the power of the Sunwell have not only lost their right as a person, but are not to be trusted for they will never see themselves level with anyone else." She got up and turned to tend to her fire. She ignored his existence altogether and began to work on the norms of survival.

"Creating a fire will only pinpoint your location. It's how I found you." He warned her. "I care not who finds me, I am strong enough to handle them." She responded with the same unwavering confidence. "Your beast does more of the work then you!" He scoffed at her. "You're not even as tall as I! I have fought enough healthy night elves to know that they are at least a head taller than a blood elf. As humorous as I find their freakish height, it means that the night elf I face now is a weakling."

"I am merely short, is there something wrong with that? I am still able to fight." She talked as though they were having a normal conversation, which only agitated the blonde creature even more. "What is your name?" she asked after a few beats of silence. "What does it matter to you?"

"You said your father is leading the blood elves here on Azuremyst Island at the moment. A name would help me confirm that." She stated simply. He considered it for a few minutes, but saw no harm in the exchange. "Lorus Sunblade... You must tell me yours." He dared to command. "Hyleana Starfall." She smiled with exhausted sarcasm.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lorus knew he couldn't tell the night elf who'd really been killing the draenei in the local area. Of course he knew exactly who'd been doing it, but it was not out of random frustration. What the night elf didn't know was that the recent attacks were merely prequels to the main event. However, he wasn't completely lying. He still looted whatever he could find off the bodies after they'd been killed.

He watched Hyleana now, anger prominent in his eyes. He'd gotten used to staring at her after spending most the night in her encampment. Hyleana, on the other hand, ignored him completely until dinnertime. She came up with moongraze meat in in her blue hands. He opened his mouth to argue, but she quickly shoved the meat in his mouth before he could make any sound. "Sorry, but as I said before, I have no time for your arguments."

He swallowed the food and tried his best to act as though it was disgusting. "Why feed me?" he managed. "You'll soon have those draenei kill me for their vengeance." Hyleana rolled her eyes. "I don't care for their vengeance right now. I will only take it under consideration if it is deserved."

"Of course it's deserved. I killed their people." He smirked. He admitted it felt weird to have his bottom face exposed with no mask to cover it. "You did not kill those draenei."

"Why do you insist on defending me? Are you a traitor to your people?" He snickered. "I am no traitor, but I do find these pointless politics to be a barrier that does not allow races see each other as equal living creatures." She said taking a bite of stag meat. "We are no equals." He spat. "No, we're just counterparts." She looked up at him. "Loyalty must truly taste better than this meat if you're willing to die for it." She snickered, her fangs gleaming in the moonlight.

Lorus rolled his eyes at this seemingly impossible woman. He had to admit, however, that this was at least interesting. Ever since he'd left his base camp he'd been alone, only following the draenei hunter along to collect anything valuable. Now, at least he had company and a reason for blame; if his father did somehow find him, he could easily see he'd been captured. In truth, he hoped that was a last resort. Being captured by such a scrawny night elf would only shame his name.

Hyleana was actually quite worried about her current situation. The draenei had been furious at the blood elves in the area, their feud unable to end. With how heated the current situation was, she needed to get rid of this male now or hand him over to them if she were to be able to continue a promising and mutual relationship with them.

"I'll tell you what. If you tell me who's really killing those draenei, I'll let you go." She offered. Surely it would poor on her part to let scum like this elf go, but she'd have just enough time to shoot an arrow though his head before he disappeared into the forest. "As if I'd ever tell you!" he responded with force. Hyleana rolled her eyes and sighed heavily again. She was getting nowhere with this simple-minded creature. She'd need to think of another way to continue the investigation without draenei interference.

Hyleana had meant what she said to the blood elf; she hated to politics of the war. As a simple hunter, these matters were very obnoxious. There were many places in Azeroth that she wished to see and hunt, but because of her race and their faction, she'd forever be lost to those dreams. She also didn't see the point of petty fights between the Alliance and the Horde when the focus should be on other issues, such as the Burning Legion which still rampaged on, alive as ever.

The way she thought had irritated her mother to no extent. "Of course we should be fighting the Horde! They are beasts of the realm and we are of the Alliance. There are too many differences to overcome for us to even attempt at getting along." Her mother had stated in a huff. "Surely the younger races should have simply fixed these issues between themselves, but instead we night elves were brought into their mess!" As Hyleana thought back on her mother's irrational thinking, as the night elves had been responsible for countless other mishaps on Azeroth, she felt at least a bit better towards her current situation.

Because of her thought process and personal beliefs, Hyleana felt that killing this blood elf without proof that he'd really done wrong would be against her own code of honor. She finally came to a conclusion as she sat there finishing her meal. "Well then, get your rest Lorus Sunblade. We shall leave tomorrow night."

"I will not go anywhere with you willingly!" he hissed. "Too bad. We leave tomorrow evening." She smiled. Whistling for Haru to come lay down by the dying fire, she got herself comfortable to sleep. "I will scream for help." He threatened her, worried for what she had in store. "No you wont. If you really are the son of a leader you wouldn't want him to be disappointed in you. You'll merely try to find a way to escape." She said as she drifted off to sleep.

She was right. And yet again, she'd read his thoughts. He banged his blonde head of hair against the tree he was bound to. This was far too frustrating. He could see the sun begin to rise shortly after he was sure Hyleana had fallen asleep. He had hoped the night elf would've killed him. At the very least he could have helped the real murderer and restored some sort of honor to himself for leaving his camp.

_My father would want me to die for her... She is by far more valuable than me anyways. _He thought to himself. _She was, after all, picked to do this mission. She probably got my position too, and not to my father's surprise. He knew I would run, and so did she. My sister is no fool. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Hyleana woke up at sunset; she knew that they would need to travel by night if she were to cover up her blemish. She opened her eyes to find envious green ones looking in her direction. "Good evening." She chimed to the blood elf. "It is disgusting that you do not make use of your days." He commented. "I make use of my days, just at different times." She explained. Getting up, she grabbed one of her satchels and looked to him. "Watch our guest, Haru." She smiled. "You leave your prisoner unattended? A fool's choice!" he scoffed. She turned back to him and smiled. "If you truly insist, then fine, you may come with me."

Several moments later, Lorus was looking away, blushing. "You did tell me that _this_ is what you'd be doing!" he yelled at the night elf. She was bathing in a nearby river next to one of the large, purple crystals that scoured the rivers and lakes. Before that, however, she had not forgotten to tie him up to a tree where she could see him, and he could clearly see her. "Well, you insisted. And I wanted to prove to you that I am no fool." She remarked.

"Perhaps, but now you have shown me how shameless you and your kind are!" he snapped, avoiding the glow her body took from the soft lighting of the crystal. "If I am just an animal to you, then what difference does it make whether I am clothed or not? Besides, I am simply bathing." She chuckled. Of course, Hyleana had known that the blood elf would not dare to even glance at her bare skin while she cleaned herself; it would be far too shameful to his pride as a blood elf.

"I am done with this pointless conversation!" he practically screamed. "So now you consider us to be conversing?" she smiled. "Perhaps one day you will even take it as so far as to consider us proper acquaintances?" She could practically feel Lorus wriggle in his own skin. The other elf's peach-colored skin turned an astonishing red. "I would never!" Giggling to herself, she turned around to face him, the water completely hiding her body. "You're face is remarkably red for such a defiant comment." She noticed. "Any male would be embarrassed in such a situation!" He shrieked.

Lorus hated this uncomfortable situation and even more so at the fact that she seemed to enjoy his suffering. He knew that she was supposed to be a filthy creature, after all the kaldorei had done, but he couldn't feel that way for some strange reason. Fearing that he was defective he reflected on previous situations in his life.

Lorus was a young elf at only six hundred and twenty. And because he'd not been alive during the War of the Ancients, he had never understood the feuds around him as the night elves never again trusted the new formation of the blood elves. After asking questions, his father would often respond in retorts and stating that his own son was an imbecile. His younger sister, Yanbera, was much different than he. She would never question their culture, let alone their parents, and blindly followed the blood elves', at the time highborne elves', hateful teachings, as some of the older elves still held disdain for their exile from Kalimdor. Lorus had always felt much different than his family, but he had no choice in the matter. He had to follow them into the spitting fires if he was to ever survive in this world and if the Sunblade name was to live on. And after the scourge had taken Quel'Thalas and the blood elves had adopted their new name, he'd begun to grow a dark hatred for other races in his heart.

But now that they'd arrived on Azuremyst Isle, he'd felt a chance to start again. And after his father's shocking offer, he knew he could no longer suck life out in this fashion. His father wanted him to lead a wave of blood elves on a nearby camp filled with blue-blooded draenei. He knew that this was a death sentence, not only by the tone in his father's voice or the cold look in his eyes, but by the mere fact that his father was sending him and not his sister.

Now that he was seemingly out of the picture, his father had probably handed down that position to Yanbera, knowing that she would come back alive. Thinking more deeply into it, Lorus suddenly realized that his own father had probably sent out an order to kill him if anyone ever spotted him. He not only had been foolishly following his sister as she easily slaughtered innocent draenei, but he'd most likely been saved by this night elf, for his sister may have also been looking for him.

As the night elf finished dressing herself, he thought about what he was about to do. He knew this would not be easy, but he needed to at the very least, thank his savior. He was now sure; he needed to give up his sister in order to protect himself. "My sister..." was all he said in a hoarse voice.

Hyleana's silver eyes flickered over to him. "What?" she asked as she twisted her long teal hair, squeezing out the cool water. "My sister is the one who's killing the draenei." He half whispered. Standing up fully, Hyleana stared at the pathetic blood elf. "You've given up so easily? What made you give in?" She asked.

"I recognize that I cannot go home. Not because of _you_," he practically spat, "but because my father would never want a weakling son like me to return. After reviewing recent events, I believe my actions will be reason for my death." He felt his throat begin to close up as he spoke. Hyleana sat down in front of him and tilted her head to look at him. "What did you do to make him hate you?" she asked bluntly and with raw curiosity. He stared at her; did she honestly expect him to come clean to her?

After a few beats of silence, Hyleana realized that she may have expected too much of the young blood elf. "That is fine." She decided, standing up. "I shall make you a different offer then." She cut the ropes binding him. "You can come with me, if you like and I can help you run for your problems, as I hope you help me run from mine." She admitted.

Standing now, Lorus looked at his capturer. "Attack me, if you wish. I will kill you easily with Haru at my side. You wanted that yesterday, I'm sure those desires still remain?" she asked. The thought had crossed his mind, but Lorus thought against it now. While Hyleana's skills were not poor, they were not as level as his own alone. With her beast as a supplement, it would be much too difficult to kill her. He shook his head to her, "No, I do not want to die. If I did, I would allow only my father those honors in some pathetic attempt to restore my own." Hyleana's eyes widened with surprise for she'd never seen a blood elf be so modest.

"Then do you accept my offer, Lorus Sunblade?" she offered once more. "I do not know if I would like to make a companionship out of this. But, I must admit my doubts of survival on my own. I've merely looted corpses up to this point. I feel as though I will not make it for very long with the other blood elves searching for my head."

Nodding, she reached out in an attempt to shake his hand, "Then let us leave now so that we may have nightfall's grace to protect us from any unwanted guests." Lorus looked down at her hand, then back up at her. "Fine, do not accept friendly gestures." She said, agitated at his inability to be civil.

She began pick up the three satchels she carried with her and whistled for Haru to stop splashing in the river and come follow the new trio. "Where are we heading to?" he asked her in confusion. "We shall head towards a nearby beach. There are enough dangerous creatures there, so no blood elves shall be looking for you in such an inhabitable area."

"Won't we then be attacked by those very creatures then?" he asked her, not seeing the logic behind her plan. "No. We shall sleep just far enough away from their territory that they won't pay much attention to us. Besides, with three able fighters, we should be fine." She shrugged.

Lorus could not understand the turn his life had now taken. Somehow, this new adventure did not seem like the child of its leading events. He found himself admiring Hyleana's knowledge, but Lorus still could not find himself to be her equal just yet. As they made their way to a nearby beach, he wondered whether this recent companionship had more than obvious reason's to worry. Whether he could trust the night elf or not was still to be seen.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

After a full night of wandering to the beach, the small trio finally arrived to a glistening shore that lay between the boarding docks and Wrathscale Point where she assured her companion that this would be the best place to hide. However, Hyleana felt unsure of herself now that the blood elf had agreed to join her. Her quest had not been to find a companion, but rather to find solitude amongst nature; something she could not seem to do in her own homeland, ironically.

Lorus had not made any advances to attack her thus far, so she assumed the blood elf knew his position. All that was unknown now was Hyleana's position in all of this. She could only offer her new companion so much before he shut down completely. How this night would turn out for the both of them, she did not know.

"The sun will rise soon. We should start making camp." The young night elf instructed. "You don't need much construction do you." The blood elf taunted, trying to make himself seem more knowledgeable. "You simply build a fire and sleep on your bloodthirsty abomination." His words did not sting her so much as they annoyed her. Turning to him now, she stated, "I have never needed shelter for I only need care of myself. However, if you feel that you need structure and a feathered bed, we can work something out. Just not right now. I am tired." She did not even want to bother with building a fire tonight; she merely wanted rest.

Haru laid down and within moments the two seemed to be fast asleep. While Lorus admitted to his own exhaustion, he felt too uncomfortable to seek sleep. He rested his back against a rock and looked up at the night sky as it lightened with the day's glowing sun. The ocean was beautiful, he thought, but it only brought a sense of dread. He wanted nothing more than to get off Azuremyst for staying meant the chance of running into his fellow blood elves. And even if he did manage to get off the island, what would he do then? There would be nowhere safe for him and as to what he could do for a living... There was nothing.

He wondered where his life would lead him from here. Had he stayed he would have died in the arms of battle, but now his future was so uncertain that it concerned him. He pondered on this fact for a few moments. And then, he found solace in a thought; his choice had led him to this night elf, one of little discrimination with very open and honest ideals none the less, and now he was not only alive but given an opportunity. He was convinced that life was full of twists such as this, and perhaps it would continue to do so.

While his guard was not completely down, he felt comfortable enough to sleep by that point. Resting his back against the rock once again, he found himself lulled to sleep by the sound of crickets chirping and the yawn of Hyleana's saber. Hyleana, finally hearing his resting breath, could finally feel her muscles relax and her rest turn into slumber. She could finally trust that there would be no fighting between the two tonight.

By habit, Lorus woke up when the sun did. He shielded his eyes from its bright glare, for the beach had no protection for he and the night elf. Standing now, he looked to where she still slept. Surely, he thought, sleep would not be well if the sun was hovering above them. The beach, he decided, had been a horrible idea for survival. While he did not like the night elf very much, or at least he told himself so, he felt it wrong to not provide shelter that would, at the very least, shelter them both.

He would have to be careful in gathering the materials needed to make a proper tent; not only did he need to be on the lookout for his fellow blood elves, but the Bristlelimb Village was right above them. While the furred beasts had not come down to the beach, he still felt their close presence to be a threat, and a threat they would be if he intended on passing their territory.

He was thankful that Hyleana had given him his daggers back, for that was his only means of protection and defense on this journey. Carefully, he walked over towards Hyleana. Haru softly growled as he approached, getting up on all fours. Lorus caught Hyleana before Haru could drop her into the sand, and as the saber let out an angry rumble, she awoke in his arms. "I'm moving you into a more shaded area." He explained to the half-awake kaldorei. She merely nodded and waved Haru away.

One crevice provided little shade, but it was still more than anything else gave. Haru laid down on the slanted formation, and Lorus picked up the elf, whom was surprisingly heavier than he thought, and placed her on the feline's soft belly. He rumbled through her bags without permission and found some proper material for his new quest. Finally, he stalked away, now prepared to make his journey. As he crept deeper into the woods, he thought of how foolish Hyleana was. _She didn't even ask where I was going. I could have been trying to kill her in her sleep, but she thought nothing of it! _He scoffed in his mind.

Trying to forget his new partner's terrible personality and sense of judgment, he worked his way silently through the Bristlelimb territory. He had seen these creatures before and he'd been in hunting parties where taking on the bear-like creatures was not simple task. By himself with only mere daggers for support, he did not know how well he'd fair against even one. He heard a shuffling dead ahead, behind a tree. Hiding into nearby underbrush, his green eyes glowed with hesitation. He could hear the heavy, lumbering steps of a tired creature, and he could easily tell that it was a villager just coming back from some form of work.

He saw the tired brown creature shuffle back towards the direction of it's camp, it's snout pointed to the sky and it's jaw hanging slack with overdramatized exhaustion. It let out a large yawn, similar to the ones Haru enjoyed sounding off, and sneezed. He prayed that his scent did not find it's way to the creature, and to his benefit, it didn't. Once the villager was out of sight, Lorus crept out from his hiding spot and swiftly out of Bristlelimb territory.

He came back in multiple trips with most of the supplies they'd need to build a decent living structure by the time the stars had started to poke out of the light pink sky. As sunset awoke, so did Hyleana. She's stirred at the sound of his arrival, a knife ready in her hand in case he was an intruder. "Relax, night elf. It's just me." He called to her silently. She saw the supplies he carried in his arms. Most of it was chopped wood, which she wondered where he'd been able get so quietly, perhaps he'd merely stolen it, and scrubs, for what she guessed were a type of camouflage. "You really do want to build a home?" she asked. "Not a home, a tent. And I'll need you to get other supplies as well, seeing as you have the relations and means to get it from the draenei.

"Also," he added. "I believe we should move locations. The ships continue to sail by, and my appearance could be seen from their distance." Hyleana nodded. "I agree. Well then..." she said standing up. "I shall go to the draenei tonight and buy the supplies we need. Perhaps I can even get transportation if it is not too expensive." She smiled. "I shall be back by midnight." She estimated as she silently left the camp. Her presence left a strange quietness in the area. Laying down in the spot she'd been kept hidden all day, he found that he would need some sleep of his own if he were to travel with her tonight. As his eyes closed, he replayed the words she'd said to him. _A home..._ He thought of the Eversong Woods, it's red and gold leaves shimmering in the sunlight, but now painful memories outweighed that of the good. He wondered in the silence and song of the crickets if he'd ever really had a home of his own.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Hyleana fixed her hair in the reflection of the nearby lake. She'd been walking for a few hours, and now she'd finally made it to the Exodar. Crossing the small wooden bridge, she headed down the road and into the draenei encampment. Instantly many kind faces and nods of approval greeted her. The draenei were good people, and Hyleana thought them to be a respectable and ancient race.

As she walked down the long metallic steps that lead deeper into the den of the Exodar, Hyleana bumped into a tall, purple skinned draenei with long curved horns and a soft face. "My apologies." She said, looking up to face the woman. A musical tone responded, "Do not worry. Might you need any assistance?" Hyleana had never met this draenei before, but understood that there were many scattered all over this land and the next. "Yes, I am in need of supplies." She explained.

"Ah, then follow me. I am on guard duty today, so I am able to help you." She explained. Reaching out a dark purple hand, she chirped, "My name is Kazeleora." Accepting her offering, Hyleana smiled and introduced herself. "Hyleana Starfall."

"A lovely last name for a lovely woman." Complemented the draenei. Hyleana blushed; she'd admit that women of any race were beautiful creatures of kindness... And brutality.

Kazeleora lead her down the steps until they reached the Seat of Naaru. "What sort of supplies might you be looking for?" inquired the tall female. It was then that Hyleana noticed her height compared to this race. She did not represent the healthiest of night elves, but she was certain that this draenei was taller than any night elven woman at home. "Supplies to build a tent. I've already acquired wood and shrubbery."

"Rope and cloth must be the next thing in mind. Perhaps some metal or crystal for comfort and style?" She suggested. "Perhaps. So long as I may afford it." Hyleana had quite a bit of gold in her pockets as she had saved up in order to leave her home. However, she needed to be very careful. She did not know how long this gold and silver would last her before she would have to take up odd jobs so that she could supply herself by other means.

Kazeleora laughed a gorgeous tune. "Do not worry! We are on the same side, I am sure I can strike you a deal." Hyleana had to wonder if her own people would be as welcoming. The night elves were known for their kindness, particularly their compassion towards nature in all it's forms. However, they were also known for their wisdom and attitude. They considered the younger races inferior, mostly due to their limitation in age. They also had hoped to live in complete seclusion and had been hesitant of helping in any war, however things had not stayed so.

She thought back to a time where her mother had made it very clear how she personally felt about the younger races on Azeroth. "Quite frankly, humans, orcs, goblins or whatever may inhabit this realm these days have very little knowledge of what it means to have a burden life. They are all young compared to us. We, who once had immortality..." her mother thought back with sadness. "Those foolish blood elves. They still pursue the art of magic as though they themselves have not experienced its mighty toll. They will suffer like the fools they are! I am still astounded by how they act despite their age. And the those infant races are no different."

Her mother had not represented the kindest of night elves. Hyleana knew that she was an extreme case in most instances, yet it still burned her to think of the bitterness that ran between the races who stood for the same values and fought on the same side in the same battles. The draenei, she thought in recognition, were _not_ a young race. From what she understood, they lived for a very long time, even longer than her elven people. Bashfully, she wondered how long Kazeleora had lived.

But then, she thought as a sadly, that would mean that she'd lived to see Draenor fall to ruins at the hands of the orcs. And even before that, she would have seen her home planet and all the others she'd visited fall as well. The tragic life that had been brought upon this draenei made Hyleana well with a sadness and feeling of compassion. She wondered how this brave woman could still manage to smile at the end of the day, or any of them for that manner.

Kazeleora lead her to a merchant. He was a broad man with long white braided hair with even longer tentacles creeping out from under them and a harsh gaze. She spoke to him in their native tongue for a moment, as though trying to convince him of something. He raised his large blue hand and shook his head, as though her proposition was not good enough for him to make a bargain. "Kazeleora, it is completely fine. I can certainly pay for most of the material I need."

A fierce blue stare was upon her own in an instant. "Please, kaldorei, do not fear. I could not send you off into wilderness knowing you could have had proper equipment." The male draenei scoffed as he understood common and felt that his female counterpart was being too generous and kind. Turning to him, with what Hyleana could have sworn was an annoyed glare, Kazeleora began to bargain in her native tone again.

This time, something shifted in the man's eyes. He nodded and said to the night elf, "You have a very generous friend here, kaldorei." His accent was far thicker than Kazeleora's, but Hyleana could still understand what he was saying. "Please," he waved his hand towards his stores. "Take anything you'd like. I will only make you pay half the price for each item."

Kazeleora had helped Hyleana gather all her items into a small wooden cart and apologized for not being able to get her an elekk to do the labor. "The breeder does not know you and fears you will run off with one of his very expensive and beloved creatures." She explained. Hyleana had waved it off and said it was nothing she couldn't handle. As they reached the entrance of the Exodar, Hyleana whistled for Haru to come out from where he was resting. "My saber, Haru." She introduced to her knew friend.

Kazeleora bent down to pet the friendly beast. "He is so sweet!" she cooed. After a moment or two of affection, Kazeleora stood to face her night elf companion. "You know, it is rather late. You do not have to leave if you do not want to. It is very dangerous out there at night." She offered. Hyleana smiled at the offer, but knew she could not accept it when the blood elf depended on her for survival. "I am a night elf; it is my nature. I do appreciate the offer though." She smiled.

The female draenei smiled somberly, "Please, at least take this." She offered a heavy black cloak. "Just in case it does get cold. Believe me, I do not use it." She added the last part with a shrug. "It is a sign of friendship." Grasping the velvety fabric in her hands, she through the robes over her. "I apologize that I cannot stay. And I wish there was something I could give you as a sign of my friendship. But I have nothing of value on me." Hyleana explained.

"Do not fear, night elf. Perhaps one day you will." She smiled kindly. Hyleana enjoyed the invitation of a second meeting and said her thanks once more before turning her back to leave. "May the light guide you." She heard Kazeleora call from behind her. As Hyleana walked off, she was unaware of the saddened eyes Kazeleora followed her with. She would deeply miss the beautiful night elf.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Lorus could swear that he was back in the Eversong Woods. It was soft and warm; he could almost feel the mossy forest floor littered with ripe red leaves. Its golden stature was so beautiful. But, during this gorgeous illusion, he realized that he could never return home with his newfound act of treason. His sister's laugh filled his ears and his father's disappointed glare could be felt, but not seen.

"Wake up." He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder, warm and reassuring. He opened his eyes to find himself staring at the reflective silver ones of Hyleana. Jumping back slightly, he hit his head against the rough stone structure he'd fallen asleep on. "It's only me." She hissed. "I brought back all the supplies we'll need. I could not get transportation, however." She added with a sigh. His green eyes flickered to the wagon of items. "We could fit some of the wood in it, I made sure to save space, but we will need to tie up some and carry it." She explained further.

"It is fine." He grumbled, still half awake. Prompting him to sit upright, he looked around at their current situation; the moon was tilting in the sky. "It is past midnight, you are late." He commented. Hyleana blushed, "I took longer than expected, that is all." Lorus cared not, but he felt a sliver of annoyance in his soul as he felt restless.

"Well, now we face the issue of where we shall make our new home and how we shall get there." He remarked. "I feel that we should go to the other side of the island where it is much more barren." Hyleana looked off into the dense blue forest as though she already had a spot in mind.

"First you want us to go to a heavily populated area of deadly creatures, and now a desolate one? What has changed your mind?" he sneered. The night elf shrugged. "I feel that there may be an area by the farther shores were we could find shelter and solitude." He could feel a longing in her words, yet he refused to give her comfort.

"Do you even have an idea of where this place may be located?"

Hyleana looked up at him. "A general idea, yes." She responded. Her tolerance for his negativity was sliming down fast, but she knew that there was truth behind his words. They would have to be careful if they were to make this move unnoticed.

As Hyleana finished rearranging the items in the cart to fit her three satchels, she removed the cloak Kazeleora had given her only hours before. "This is perfect!" she exclaimed. "What?" Lorus asked. "Dawn will be approaching as we make our journey. But this hood could shield your appearance. We could then make our way through the Watch as a short cut." she smiled. Lorus wanted to argue, but Hyleana was already throwing the cloak over his head. "Just try it, if it doesn't work then we'll simply take a different route. But it will certainly be longer."

As Lorus pulled down the black cloaks long dress, Hyleana pulled the hood over his long ears to discover the slits made for draenei horns. "Perfect." She mused as the hood almost covered his entire face. "They will never suspect you. In the dim lighting, your skin is almost the same tone as mine." His green eyes glared at her from under his hood. "You honestly expect us to risk everything on this blasphemous plan of yours?" he asked. "The plan should work." Hyleana shrugged. Picking up a pack of wood, the night elf gave it to Lorus for him to carry. "I shall tote the cart." She explained.

The two began to walk along the shore. Hyleana had explained that they would be going up to the boarding docks and then making their way down past the Exodar. "The path there leads straight to the other end of the island." Lorus trusted the night elf's sense of location, but not her plan entirely. They would be out for a long journey that would last deep into the next day; the odds of him being caught were high.

They made it to the docks within half an hour or so, just as the sun's light rays were beginning to break through the night sky. The day, Lorus could already tell, would be dreary and miserable with a chance of rain. _All the more reason to get to this place and build a decent shelter._ He thought to himself. As the trio made their to higher ground, right next to the dock, Hyleana froze in her tracks.

Two female night elves and one male were standing between two draenei-built tents. "Friends of yours?" he asked in a hushed tone. She said nothing, but he followed her gaze to the taller of the two women. Looking closer, he saw that she was eternally beautiful with two long white braids and a small crown adorning the top of her head. She had a pink tone to her skin, but the markings around her eyes were like claw marks, similar to the ones on Hyleana's face.

The two females were conversing, but the man was working on making something; Lorus had not time to take in more of their details for he noticed that Hyleana had moved quietly off the path. Rushing after her, the two stopped behind a tree. "Do you want to explain yourself?" he hissed at her. "Hush!" she silenced him. "Stay here. I will be right back." Lorus watched as the night elf made her presence almost undetectable as she slipped into the shadows.

Hyleana crept closer to the back of the tents and silently listened. She worried that this technique may only work on enemies and not other night elves, but she needed to try. Desperately, she strained her hearing to listen to the conversation between the other two females, which wasn't hard. "I need to find her." The white-haired one was saying in a harsh voice. "I'm sorry, but we only just got back from the Teldrassil. Had I seen your daughter, I would have told you, my sister." Responded the other. But Hyleana had heard all she needed to hear.

Hyleana quietly moved back to Lorus's location, lucky to have not been detected. As she made her presence visible again, she looked at the blood elf with contempt in her eyes. "Please stay very quite and follow me. If they find us, we will never make it." Lorus nodded, not fully comprehending the tone in the situation. Looking to the saber that crouched at his heels, he noticed that even the feline had taken a more tense composure, but it did not dare growl. Slipping into the woods once more, the small group made it's way up towards the Exodar.

The uneven ground made maneuvering the cart a painful and loud procedure as the forest got thicker, but once she was sure her fellow night elves could not hear or see her, she made her way back to the even path. "Will you explain what happened?" Lorus asked angrily from behind her. "When we get to our final destination, yes." She responded.

The two made it to the Exodar much faster as Hyleana had not slowed her pace since the previous tents. "Pull your hood over you face more." She instructed her companion. Walking through the Exodar as though he was an Alliance member felt strange. The light had not lifted much, so he hoped that Hyleana's hypothesis on the color of his skin was correct. He could see suspicion glisten in the eyes of the draenei that spotted him, but as they saw Hyleana they smiled. "Hyleana!" a voice called. A tall draenei woman with long black hair came rushing out of the main building's entrance.

"Kazeleora!" Hyleana smiled at her friend. "You come back so soon? Are you alright? It's only been a few hours!" asked the concerned creature. "I am traveling with my brother to build our new home." She stated without missing a beat. Kazeleora's eyes flickered over to Lorus's hooded figure. He could see a sense of sadness register in her eyes. Hyleana had obviously taken not and quickly explained in a hushed voice, "He is badly burnt on his face, my friend. Whilst on our travels, we got ambushed by a few orcs... What they did to him..." she left off shivering. Lorus had to admit, she was a good storyteller.

"I apologize for using your cloak in this way... I know it was a sign of friendship. But he knows that his face... It frightens people-"

"Say no more." The Kazeleora. She smiled. "I am glad it came in good use." Hyleana looked relieved. She had not wanted her friend to suspect she thought nothing of their recent acquaintanceship. "May you do me one more favor?" Hyleana thought quickly. "A night elf with white braids may come here at any moment. If she asks for her daughter, will you tell her she left?" she asked in such a hushed tone that not even Lorus was unsure if he'd heard her right.

Kazeleora gave a concerned look, but nodded. "I shall say she is no longer in Azeroth if that be what you wish." She smiled. Hyleana's relief was carved so deeply into her face, it hurt. "I can never repay you for your kindness." She told the draenei. After an apologetic goodbye, the trio rushed off again into the wilderness. It would not be long after they left that the white night elf entered the Exodar.

Kazeleora intercepted her before any of her fellows could greet her. "Welcome, friend. How may I assist you?" Her silver eyes were similar to her daughter's, yet colder. "I seek my daughter, Hyleana Starfall." She bluntly stated. "Hyleana was here, but left yesterday. She said her destination was Stormwind. From there, I do not know." The night elf merely sighed and asked for directions to the hippogriff master. Kazeleora made sure to see her off, but wondered why it was that this mother was looking for her daughter and not her son.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, I've noticed a lot of people checking out the fanfic, thank you so much for your support and time! If you like it or if there are areas for improvement please leave some reviews or PM me! Thank you! - AG**

Chapter Eight

Hyleana and Lorus had been walking for quite some time now; the Silting Shore had been scattered with Siltfin murlocs and the surrounding forest was too barren to make a decent hiding area. The sun was higher up in the sky now, revealing early morning's true light. As they walked through ruined archways and swaying blue trees, they came to a crossroad in the path. "What lies over there?" Hyleana asked, checking her map.

Lorus pushed the map away from her face slowly and said with ferocity, "There is no need. That is Bloodmyst Isle. It is a dangerous place, one I do not wish for us to go right now. The land is too corrupted and the creatures too tainted." Hyleana looked up at the blood elf with curious silver eyes. "Do your people occupy that land?"

"As they do this one. Only there, they are not shy of their presence." He began to walk on the path again. Following him, the night elf walked in silence. "You never did explain out previous encounter with the other night elves." He asked suddenly. "She's my mother, Ilsenna Starfall. She did not wish me to take on this sort of life, so now she intends to find me and persuade me to come home." She began to explain slowly.

"This sort of life... As a hunter you mean?" Lorus began to see the broader picture. "My mother is a priestess. She loathes the idea of her daughter taking on a position that leads me away from the our home forests. At first it was Ashenvale, but after the Teldrassil's growth she'd been adamant we stay near the Temple of the Moon. It is as simple as that." Hyleana shrugged. "My younger sister, Naedriel became a druid. My mother still has very strong opinions on old religion and tale. So when Naedriel was born with amber eyes, she believed it to be a blessing."

Lorus had heard of the druidic nature turning one's eyes amber and that night elves used to believe it to be a sign of great destiny if one was born with them. "Your mother must have very strong opinions of the older days." Hyleana laughed at his comment. "You should hear what she says about you and your people." Lorus could not find humor in the remark, but decided it best to discard it. Hyleana took his silence as a close to the conversation and the two continued to walk in silence.

They did not make it to their final destination until late in the evening. They had gotten fairly close to the Azure Watch, but had traveled off the path and zeroed in on a shore hidden by trees. The area had thick, dense woodland around it, but the shore was bare with little to no predators around. "This is a much nicer spot." commented Lorus to Hyleana's surprise. "You actually enjoy a spot after hours of searching?" she teased, but the blood elf did not react.

Her muscles screamed from their stiff position as she laid the cart to rest. "Finally!" she huffed as she lay down on the ground. She was exhausted and hadn't slept since the sunset before. "What do you think you are doing?" Lorus sneered; he could not believe how lazy this night elf was being. "We shall start building now." He demanded.

"I have not slept in some time now, Sunblade. I need rest or I wont be of much help." The shade felt good on her face and the soft reeds that surrounded her danced in the misty afternoon. "Do you not see how heavy the clouds are? We would be lucky to finish before they relieve themselves of rain." He argued. "You should relax, rain has never hurt. It rains all the time in the Ashenvale." She reasoned.

"Oh, that's right. I had forgotten what a race of feral beasts your kind are." Hyleana ignored his insults and rolled over in the sand to turn her back to him. Lorus rolled his eyes in annoyance and decided that he would build their tent under the shade in the forest. It would be obnoxious to not to have help, but at the very least he could depend on himself.

Lorus had taken the sunset hours and worked late into the night to put up the four walls, but Hyleana had taken his place and worked on the roof while her companion slept and the sky grew more pregnant with rain. The blood elf could hear a light dripping sound when he awoke, but felt no water. Opening his eyes, he saw that a long wooden roof covered his head and a wool blanket covered his upper body. Standing up, he looked outside to see that the rain was pouring down much harsher than he'd imagined earlier. Looking around at the unfurnished tent, he saw night elf had brought in all the supplies yet she herself was not present.

Walking outside, he saw her pulling a long tarp-like fabric over the wooden flat roof for a finished effect. "What about the shrubs?" he asked her. "I used them to fill the cracks, but the left overs shall be used for tonight's fire." She did not look up from her work as she hammered the fabric into the ground. As she was finishing up, he noticed that she was drenched from the cold rain. "You should come in side, Hyleana. You'll grow sick like that."

"I am much sturdier than I appear. And why does it concern you whether I am ill or not? I am just a creature of feral background, is that not what you said?" Lorus could tell that she was angered by the sound in her voice, and perhaps if they were to work together he would need to lighten his outlook on their situation. "I apologize..." he started off slowly. Her silver eyes flashed up to him in amazement. "It's okay. I am just hungry and sleep deprived." She laughed.

Together, the elves walked inside their spacious tent. "It should do." Lorus commented. It was big enough for the two to sleep in and for their stores to be kept if organized properly. The flooring was grassy, but Hyleana had bought two large rugs to suffice as carpeting. "You make the fire by the entrance, I'll start unpacking." She instructed.

The night was dark, but the moon's glow radiated the gray clouds, creating a dim light. In the tent, two elves of different cultures sat together in silence, looking up at the sky. "You wrapped that blanket around me earlier. Why?" Lorus asked after many moments of silence. Hyleana looked thoughtfully at where the moon would have been, hanging low in the sky as dawn approached, and said in a dreamy voice, "I wanted to prove to you that I am not a savage. But what's more, that is just who I am. I do not care if you are a blood elf. You deserve the same care I would give to anyone."

Lorus gave many insults, but he had never lost the urge to treat her as a normal creature. In his mind, he still viewed it as wrong, but within only the last three days of knowing the night elf, he was starting to question the values he was raised with. "However, I did not have enough room to provide bedding, what with all the other supplies. So please, use the blanket for tonight. I shall gather more living supplies tomorrow night from Azure Watch." She added as an afterthought.

"It matters not to me." Lorus said a bit quietly. "We could always share." Hyleana said with a straight face. When she saw Lorus turn red with embarrassment she laughed, "Only a joke, dear blood elf." Lorus ignored her for a while more, her words lingering on his mind. The two watched as Haru danced in the rain, splashing in the nearby shore and enjoying a simple version of life.

Lorus wished he could be that creature. That he could be so free and be loyal to one person or even to just himself with no doubts or reservations in his mind. And he wished to be Hyleana much more. _But what's more, that is just who I am. I do not care if you are a blood elf. You deserve the same care I would give to anyone._ Those words impregnated his mind with so many different thoughts, ones that did not entirely make sense. He was taught that the Alliance was full of fools, and the night elves more so. But what he saw before him was more compassionate and open-minded. He wished he could be like that and hoped that, within time, he could be more certain how what he himself believed him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

A full three weeks had passed since Hyleana and Lorus had made their home along the beautiful beach of Azuremyst Isle. Since then, they had added more to their small home; two sleeping area's of fine draenei-made bedding, three chests and baskets for organizing materials such as food and clothing, and another fabric that they could roll over the front of their tent to create a third wall.

Every morning thus far, Lorus had found himself waking up at some random point in the day and instantly search for his night elf companion. Most of the time, she was still asleep by the time he woke up; she would sleep against the wall while he would sleep in the center of the tent. He'd find himself staring at her for a few moments in a tired gaze as though he were confused towards her existence, but ultimately he would get up immediately and start their daily chores.

Hyleana, on the other hand, suspected the blood elf was changing his views of her. She couldn't help but feel a soft spot for Lorus now herself either. She found herself excited to return home with a stag for them to cook and a meal for them to converse over.

Hyleana had never been one to open up, at least around her own people, but she felt as though the blood elf had a right to know who she was and what she as an individual valued. "My people are said to share the same set of beliefs, but that's not really true for any race is it? Surely some try to impose their political opinions on to their people, but the reality is that not everyone can think the same way." She told him one night. "I don't believe in everything that the night elves preach. They feel no trust for the younger races, and I feel that is a big mistake. We've lived for a very long time, and yet we continue to make mistakes even with all this 'wisdom' we've supposedly acquired. I believe that races live long enough to know enough about life."

Lorus found himself silent during their conversations. He felt as though there was nothing he could say to her. Part of him, one that he'd long since stashed away, felt the need to add to the conversation. But the other part of him felt as though what the night elf said was wrong. So rather than devalue her thoughts or give in, he simply said nothing.

Hyleana, though she may not have known it, was right about one thing; Lorus was changing, and he could feel it. While he thought little of his few moments upon awakening and looking at her pale face, he began to recognize that he worried for her often. While he had all of his day to take care of himself, Hyleana found herself busy between her travels for supplies up at Azure Watch and her own chores that waited for her at home.

Once, during their brief moments of interaction, they were washing their clothing in the river. It was late into the night, which was perfect for Lorus for no one would be out in this area during that time to spot him. While it was dark, Lorus looked over at the night elf and noticed her face was worn and tired. "You look horrible." He stated after a few moments; he decided that if he stated it as an insult, there was no way she'd know he cared about her wellbeing.

"Don't I always to you?" she asked the cranky blood elf, clear exhaustion in her voice. He watched her exhausted body work with great strain to clean the shirt in her hands. "You were out much later yesterday, you came back during the afternoon. Did something happen?" he asked. Hyleana silently wondered why he'd even noticed, but she decided not to point it out. "The draenei have started to offer me jobs. My friend, Kazi, was moved over to the Watch and she knows that I will eventually run out of gold."

It was true. Kazeleora had transferred over to Azure Watch and would remain there for quite some time, mostly because it promised Hyleana's presence. The last time Hyleana had been up there, not only had Kazeleora offered the nickname "Kazi", she'd also offered small jobs to put money in the kaldorei's pocket. "I do not know what you have," the female draenei had said. "But you will not last forever. My people could use some help."

"And you've decided to take these jobs?" Lorus stopped to turn and face the woman. Hyleana looked up at him and sighed, "Yes... I suppose I will." Her silver eyes glowed dimly in the moon's pale light and he could see her hands shook slightly from lack of sleep. It was at this that Lorus felt guilty. She was not only supporting herself, but him as well. Blood elf or not, he could not stand for this to continue.

"I shall take care of things here. You just worry about these... Jobs, and I'll take care of the rest." He said slowly with hesitation. Her eyes widened; Hyleana could not believe that he was even proposing this system. After a few moments of silence, he added in defense, "I recognize that you're the only one of us able to work. So I must compensate." Hyleana smiled, "It's okay, there's no need to feel I need help. I honestly don't mind." Looking down, she continued to wash the shirt in her hands.

Her eyes grew wide as he grasped her wrists in his hands in a single and gentle movement. "Please, Hyleana. Go to sleep." It was the first time she'd ever heard him be gentle and sincere. Up until now, what she thought had been common tongue was now a force of public pressure. Hyleana leaned her face in to peer into his green eyes to fill her thirst of curiosity; did he honestly feel something of concern?

He could feel his heart pounding; her nose was too close to him and her small wrists where clasped in his hands. Hyleana felt those same nerves, but what both could have wanted would not happen on this night. She did not want a man who could not be honest with himself. Pulling away, she gave the sodded shirt to him. "I shall go sleep now then." With that, she got out of the water and went into the tent. Lorus's eyes followed after her in bewilderment. They had been so close and he could have sworn that for a moment he'd desired something more from the transaction.

_No... I do want something._ He finally admitted to himself. He knew in his heart that there was a woman he longed to be with. Of different race and of different affiliation, he did not care. He only cared for her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Just a quick note on Thalassian and Darnassian: I've tried to research into this but the answer is never completely clear. The two languages are cousins, however this does not mean that blood elves and night elves can completely understand each other when speaking their native language. The best example I got for this particular issue was the same as Portuguese and Spanish; the two share similarities and they can understand each other to some degree, but not entirely or a majority of the time. Also, I saw that some words were similar, but spelled differently. So in total... The whole thing is just up in the air and unclear but for this story, we'll go with the example given above. **

Chapter Ten

Their talks during mealtime became much different from that moment on. Hyleana would come back from work, excited to bring back popular foods and luxuries that were being sold in Azure Watch and Lorus would be excited to see her. He knew that he was not the man she wanted, nor was a man she could have, but he wanted to try his best for her anyways.

After a month of them living together had passed, something happened that was odd, but enticing. Hyleana came home with a sand pear pie, claiming that her mysterious friend Kazi had bought it for her as a gift. "Kazi does a lot for you." Commented Lorus. Hyleana blushed, "I suppose so. She is a very kind woman." He couldn't help but feel threatened by the draenei woman. She may have been of a different race, but she was of the Alliance and clearly was better off than he.

"It is still warm, should we try it?" she smiled. He nodded. The sun would rise within a few hours, and the time they spent together by the warm fire had become precious to both elves. "I am not a healthy elf." Hyleana admitted with a laugh. "What makes you say that?" Lorus asked. "I am small. My mother wanted me to stay in the Moon Temple and work so that she would not have to worry about me. But I figure if the gnomes can hunt in the wilderness, so can I."

Lorus wondered why she'd brought this up at such a random time. "Why tell me this?" he asked. "Because you never open up. But I wanted you to know my weakness. I am smaller than any other night elf, but I am not weak. It just so happens that you may be able to overpower me. However, Haru picks up my slack." She laughed while Haru, who was already asleep, snored loudly in his private bliss. Lorus felt slightly blessed that she would tell him her weakness. He finally smiled at her and decided to tell her his story.

"I wish I was like you, Hyleana." Lorus admitted. "I have to confess what really happened... Why I'm here." He hesitated for a few moments, his green eyes narrowing at the memories of his father. "My father sent me to die on a mission when we got here. He wanted me to lead an attack on the Exodar with a large army of blood elves. He knew I would not survive, for he's always thought of me as a weak child, unfit to be called son... I am not good in combat when there is more than one opponent... I... I ran away before he could inform me any more information. I ran away... And now I can never run back."

He was silent for a few moments, unable to face her. "Then let me stay with you." She offered. "If neither the Horde nor the Alliance want you... Let me stay with you." Hyleana herself was not sure why she was saying this, but it came out at once. She thought back to that night, how something between them had almost been shared. She knew that such a short period of time could not change a man, but she was beginning to see a change in him, one she deeply appreciated.

She could not help but fear for his silver tongue to lash out at her vulnerability, but he did nothing to harm her kindness. "Thank you." He said. He still could not look up to face her, but his heart filled with a joy and felt as though it had been completed. Getting up, he dowsed the fire and went to his bed. Only a few moments later, he heard Hyleana crawl into her bed. He was facing the wall she slept against, but he was he would not dare open his eyes to face her illuminating silver ones. Suddenly, he heard her get up and crawl into his bed. Something warm wrapped around his hand and caressed it; Hyleana had brought up the courage to hold his hand gently in hers. She needed to believe that there was someone who valued the things she did and it looked as though Lorus was becoming that being.

He tightened his grip on her, but still did not want to open his eyes. It was too unreal that this woman could possibly exist. She was too kind to him when he could not even hold a candle to her face. He did not know what it was that he felt for Hyleana, but he knew that he felt something for her. And while Hyleana did not know what would lie in store for his future, she could not help but feel a slight sense of longing to be with him. The two fell asleep with their hands embraced, and neither had ever felt so safe.

Things passed like this for three more months, and on their fifth month of living together, the two of them shared a kiss under Elune's bright light. Hyleana had looked up at her goddess and prayed that she could keep this man for herself. She did not want to be selfish, but she wanted more than nothing to stay with him. Lorus, who'd abandoned any religion, only thought of how he could keep this woman for his own.

As the nights grew cold, they grew closer. Holding her feminine frame against himself, he ran his hands through her soft teal hair. Never would he find a woman so different among his own kind. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and knew that there were no men she could replace him with. The two did not know if they could utter words of love, but they could embrace and fill each other's hole for companionship.

One sunset, Hyleana sat in the tent, writing on a piece of parchment. "What might the lovely woman be doing?" Lorus asked, walking up from the shore. "Writing to my sister." Smiled as Lorus bent down to kiss her softly. "Your sister? You hardly speak of her." He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Naedriel has not heard from me in quite some time. I feel it is best to let her know how I've been."

"Will you speak of me?" he asked in a whisper, representing their devilment. "I believe that while she can keep many secrets, that is one she would cast far too much concern." Hyleana smirked as her hand danced across the parchment. "Will she betray your whereabouts to your mother?" Lorus asked, recalling the older night elf from early on in their journey. "No. My sister feels indifferent towards my mother's reasoning. And my mother knows we share a bond too strong; she will not try to gather my location from my sister. It would never work." Hyleana shrugged. Lorus hugged her and kissed her cheek. "I shall leave you to your private affairs then, my lady." He got up and left the tent.

One Lorus had disappeared Hyleana reread her letter to make sure it was perfect:

_My Dearest Sister, _

_I apologize for not sending you word sooner. I know you fret over me. But have I not told you that I am your older sister? You should trust that I am safe! My life has been a dream since moving to Azuremyst Isle... It is too perfect for me to even describe... Although, only a few weeks upon my arrival, mother showed up to the island. Why had she been looking for me? Alas, that was quite some time ago, and I am sure that she has returned the Temple of the Moon by now. Pray tell if you know something. _

_Dear sister, there are so many things I wish to tell you. So many things that cannot be expressed through a letter... I long to see you, for I miss you so. The days we spent rushing through the forests of Ashenvale as children always fill my thoughts. And I often think of after we moved to Teldrassil and how we would sit on it's branches and look at the stars as they danced on the water... How long our lives have already been and how different they have become..._

_I am certain that your studies are going well though? You were always a bright student. The druids are lucky to have such an eager learner at their side, willing to work hard. I wish to know more about your endeavors. Please, do not hesitate to write back to me, my sister. I long await to hear word from you. I believe it goes without saying, but please do not tell mother where I am. Send your regards to the Azure Watch; I shall pick it up there. _

_A love from afar, _

_Hyleana _

She pondered how much of this letter Lorus could read. Thalassian and Darnassian were very similar languages, however neither elven race would admit to this. However, Hyleana began to wonder what it would be like to speak Thalassian and if she could perhaps learn it. After all, it was a cousin of her own language; it could not be that difficult.

It was earlier in the morning, when Hyleana was returning from her work at the Azure Watch, that she asked her blood elf lover if he could teach her. "Thalassian? Why would you want to learn that?" he asked her. The two had only ever communicated by speaking common. "It could be useful." Hyleana smiled. His green eyes looked down at the cold sand beneath them as he nervously pondered whether or not it was a good idea.

"I suppose it could do no harm..." he decided. Hyleana was more then excited and kissed his cheek. "We start now!" she said in a higher voice, grabbing him by his hand and pulling him into the tent. Lorus and Hyleana had much more space in the tent now; the two had made one larger bed that they shared. In the center of the room lied a rug, which Hyleana eagerly sat down on, throwing Lorus in front of her.

"You're much to eager." He laughed. "Fine. But, in return I want something." He leaned in close. "What might that be?" she asked with mischief in her laughing silver eyes. "You must teach me Darnassian." Her glowing eyes widened, "Why?"

"Why do you want to learn Thalassian?" he reasoned. "Fair enough." She shrugged after a moment of thought. Time moves fast for elven people, and another month seemed mere seconds in their presence. Hyleana, Lorus decided, was an excellent student. Perhaps it was that she already spoke one of four elven languages, but even she felt that she had an aptitude for language. He was now used to the phrase "shan'do" which meant "honored teacher" in Darnassian.

"Fine, one last word and then you must sleep." Lorus bargained one night while he was teaching her. "Fine." She smiled. He felt as though he was trying to get a small child to go to sleep, and Hyleana would sometimes get so excited she appeared to be so. "Dalah'surfal." He smiled. Her eyes widened as her smile unveiled her fangs, "That sounds familiar..."

Some of the words were the same exactly. "My love." He held her hands. She smiled nervously and her pale blue cheeks blushed. "And it is what I call you." Hyleana looked up at him. The two had known they shared feelings, but not those that could fall under love. But Hyleana felt that, despite all her years of living, she did not know what it was like to fall in love with someone. And while Lorus could find himself saying the same, he felt as though calling her his love was appropriate enough.

She reached her hand up to touch his cheek. "Kene'thil surfas..." she murmured. He knew what that one meant; _I love you._ The two of them were becoming much more than companions; they found themselves sharing much more than a common mind. A selfish and greedy want for each other had turned into a powerful love. And the two could have sworn that they were the only two out there who could feel this way or be in this situation.

But Hyleana would find out soon enough that she was wrong. One night, after a month of sending her sister a letter, she received one of her own from Kazi. "We received it this morning." The draenei smiled. "Shaha Lor'ma." Hyleana had responded without thinking. "I mean," she corrected herself. "Thank you." Kazi had found it cute and left Hyleana to be on her way, watching her sadly as the night elf disappeared into the dark blue trees.

Once back at her camp, Hyleana read the contents of a letter that she would have never believed if she didn't trust her sister fully.

_My Dearest Sister,_ _Hyleana, _

_I was more than happy to receive word from you. I miss you so... Although I worry that after this letter, I will hear from you no more... Hyleana, as I write this letter, I write it in the most secluded area of the forest. I do this because I am afraid. Afraid of anyone finding out my secret... One I desperately need you to keep._

_I know that you have an open mind... And I have always been thankful for that. But I need that now more than ever; that beautiful mind of yours. Hyleana, I am with child and I do not know what to do. While I am early into the pregnancy I worry the other druids will find out... But bearing a child is not what is most concerning... _

_This child is not fully elven... It is half human... A while back, a naval officer arrived to Darnassus from Stormwind. I had never seen a man so confident... I would go into more detail of our time together, but I must keep this brief... He was here for no more that a month... And now he is gone. He does not know what I bear. I do not know what to do Hyleana. And I pray that you shall have some sort of answer for me. I desperately need my elder sister... _

_Elune be with you, dear sister, for she has surely turned her back on me..._

_Naedriel _

Hyleana's eyes widened. Perhaps, she thought, her and her sister had much more in common. "Hyleana, what's wrong?" Lorus asked as he pushed back the flap to walk into their room. Hyleana did not respond to him; she quickly got up and rushed to find parchment. "Hyleana?" Lorus asked again, but there was still no response.

_Dear Sister,_ she wrote:

_Come to Azuremyst. Get away from Darnassus as soon as you can. And make haste! I have much that I too need to explain and take responsibility for... Do not fret... Your elder sister shall take care of you. _

_Hyleana_

It was a short note, but it would do the trick, Hyleana felt. She turned then, finally recognizing Lorus's presence. "What is the matter?" he asked her in Thalassian. While he knew it wasn't the time for lessons, the two had begun speaking both languages in the home; not perfectly, but enough that they could understand the other.

"My sister... She is in trouble." She spoke in common. After explaining the letter she'd received, Lorus stayed still, his tilted blonde head resting in his hand. His eyes did not look at her as he asked, "Will she accept me?"

"My sister is a druid... As a person of nature, I am sure she does not understand or approve of the sin'dorei and their ways of magic. However, my sister shares some of my personal values, thank Elune, so there may yet be some hope for her to accept you. Besides," she added, "she loved a human and bears a half-elven child. The shame they bring to a night elf is much more embarrassing than a love of two elves... At least I figure." While her reasons seemed logical, they did not put Lorus's heart at ease. "Lorus." She took his hand in hers. "Please. I need your support and help now... More than I think I ever will."

Lorus raised her eyes to her and smiled, "I know. I will be here." He kissed her on the cheek in an attempt to comfort her although he himself was not as sure of the situation. Hyleana knew that this would not be easy for Lorus, but she had to help her sister, no matter what the cost. The two of them wrapped their bodies around one another and prayed that all would be well. If Naedriel, for some reason, betrayed her sister, the relationship that they held dear would be in deep danger.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Naedriel would arrive in two weeks time; her planned escape was to be as discrete as possible. With this in mind, Lorus felt a rush of insecurity fold chilling arms around him. Soon, he and his night elf companion would not have privacy, which was his main concern. While nothing had happened in a drastic manner, Lorus still found that their romantic interludes during the day were something he found comforting and slightly necessary. But he dare not speak a word to the night elf; he needed to be selfless in this if he were to show he truly cared.

"I cannot believe my little sister would do such an uncharacteristic things..." Hyleana finally spoke the words that had ruffled in her brain for quite some time. "What do you mean?" Lorus looked up, slightly understanding but still fogged on what had prompted the conversation. It was late at night and a campfire settled the two. "It's just that she made love to a man that she hardly knew, and she is a woman of such strong faith and tradition. Her emotions must have been strong. Or there is much I don't know of my own sister..."

The sadness in Hyleana's made Lorus feel uneasy. "Your sister is her own woman, Starfall. There is no need for you to stay concerned about her, for she shall make her own choices." Hyleana simply nodded and allowed her silver eyes to be enchanted by the fire's seducing flames. Her sadness continued for up until her sister finally did arrive.

Her sister arrived the at the designated time on a hippogryph from Darnassus. "Sister!" Hyleana embraced Naedriel with a long hug. The elf had a darker hint of purple to her skin and long purple hair that was pulled into two braids; the spitting image of their father, many had told them. Holding her sister for a few more moments, a familiar voice interrupted them. "A heart warming reunion! I'm glad to see your sister has faired well." Kazi was now behind the duo staring fondly. Grabbing her sister's hand, she smiled at her friend, "As am I. Naedriel, this is my friend Kazi. She's treated me very kindly since my arrival here." Hyleana smiled as she introduced the two. Bowing, Naedriel thanked the draenei for taking care of her elder sister.

"It is nothing. And if there is anything I can get for you, please do not hesitate to come and visit me." Her eyes sparkled as her musical accent filled their ears with warmth. Hyleana had never caught on to why the woman was always being so kind to her, but she was always slightly wary of her presence; Kazi was the only other being on the island with whom she was close to, and if anyone were to find out about her secret, she had the best chance of revealing it. The two said their goodbyes and headed off into the lush forest.

"Sister... Your letter concerned me..." Naedriel admitted as the two came to the stop. The air around them had now become serious and the two were secluded from any prying ears. "As you are entitled..." Hyleana put her hand behind her head and gave her sister a worried look. She worried even more when tears began to pool in her sister's amber eyes. "Sister... Do you hate me for what I have done?" As the soft light kissed the tears that rolled down her dark purple cheeks, Hyleana rushed her younger sister into a hug. "By Elune's light, why should I? You followed your heart. I could never condemn you for that. I was more worried that I did not know my sister well enough!" Despite being older, her sister was just a bit taller than her by about half an inch and Hyleana found her chin rested against her shoulder slightly.

"But Hyleana... I will bear a half-elven child..." she wept into the older elf's shoulder. "Do you know how they are treated around the world? How harsh their lives are? They seemingly fit in nowhere... They grow too fast for elves and stay too young for humans... There is nowhere my child..." she trailed off as tears fell. "That's not true." Hyleana pushed her sister back to face her, silver eyes ablaze with an unknown passion. "Your child will always have you. I will not allow you to abandon them. And neither shall I. Even if you were somehow lost to us, that child will always have me. We're a family, Naedriel. And we're different. Think. Our mother kept us close to her side and although we were raised communally, we still shared a special bond with our mother and each other. So please... Don't feel like this child will live such a cold and relentless life. For when there is doubt, they will have us..."

Her sister's tears seemed to stop at her words. There was some sort of life renewed to them. "Hyleana... I knew you would know the right thing to say... You just... Always have..." She smiled slightly. "I sent word to the father before I left. And I told him where I would be. Perhaps... If we both agree on things... Or if he even comes to look for me... Perhaps we can bring our child into the world together... I know that I will outlive him but perhaps it's best to just focus on the time we will share together now..." Ruffling her purple hair Hyleana smiled. "That's my sister."

Wrapping her arms around her very small, barely visible baby bump, Naedriel looked at her sister. "And what of your news? You had me worried that perhaps there was something wrong." Hyleana slouched again; she had no idea how she should proceed with telling her sister the news. Of course, her sister was not one to talk in her situation, so she figured she might as well come out and say what she needed to. "Sister... I have met someone as well... But they are not of our race... Necessarily... Nor our faction..." she sighed, feeling the shock reach her sister. "What... Do you mean by faction?" Naedriel began slowly.

"He's a blood elf..." Hyleana sighed and looked at her hands. She clenched them together and awaited her younger sister's response, hoping that whatever was to come would not be too terrible. "I see... And you're not..." Naedriel left the question to be left to her sister's accurate interpretation. "No, I am not with child." Hyleana blushed. She finally found the courage to look her sister in the eyes, bewilderment adorning her face at her sister's initial thoughts. Naedriel was holding her left braid with two hands and staring at the ground in nerves. "Mother would be considerably distraught if she found out the lives her only daughters were leading. Perhaps it is our blood?" Naedriel smiled.

"You are not upset?" Hyleana asked. "Yes... I cannot lie that I feel a sense of unease and slight betrayal... I understand the taboo that I myself have committed, but he's a blood elf!" she looked at her sister with heated amber eyes. "They are traitors to us! His green eyes are a symbol of that. I don't understand. To not be of our race anymore is one thing, but to be a traitor of it is another." Naedriel's eyes were confused and filled to the brim with anger. "Think what you want, but he is not the same. Much like you and I, he does not concern himself with the teachings and political stances that his race has shoved down the population's throat anymore." Hyleana chose harsh words, but did not have a matching tone; she knew her sister would have to come around at some point and had no right to speak in her situation.

And, as she began to settle, Hyleana could see that she was thinking it over. "I suppose... You said that I followed my heart, yes? Well... If you are following yours and I suppose I cannot condemn you as well... I want to meet this man and I hope he is what you say he is." Hyleana rushed her sister into another hug. "Thank you, my young sister. I promise... I promise that your burdens will lessen so long as I am near."

Lorus had been waiting for quite some time, nervous to be meeting Hyleana's family. She'd been gone for some time now and he worried that perhaps her reveal had not gone as well as planned. "Please tell me this will work." He rushed his hands through his ruffled blonde hair, which was now growing considerably long. A ruffle in the shrubs told him that the moment of truth had arrived.

Turning around, her faced a night elf who was about his height, but slightly taller. "Naedriel, this is Lorus Sunblade." Hyleana smiled. The purple haired elf gave a disgruntled look, but came up to him and bowed. "Thank you for taking care of my sister." When she came back up to meet his green eyes, he smiled at her, "Yes, well she is truly a handful, that is certain."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Lorus was far too aware of his situation. Not only was he in love with one night elf but now he was living with two. Along with that, Naedriel seemed to be an extraordinary guest. Due to Hyleana's often absence, he found himself spending more time with the younger of the sisters. And while he kept a smile and tried his best to prove to the night elf that he was not like the rest of his kind, she was extremely distant and nervous whenever he approached her.

And Hyleana herself was nervous of her sister because of the attitude changes that had come along with her pregnancy. Neither of them had said anything, but after sometime, the couple would give each other knowing glances as if to signify the emotional status of Naedriel. "I hope her lover contacts her soon." He said one night as the two walked along the shore. "Yes. The officer has not sent word to Watch and I grow nervous that he never will." The blonde elf tilted his head from side to side. "He could be at sea still. He is of the navy. It couldn't be too much to assume that he simply hasn't arrived back in Stormwind."

Hyleana nodded, but considered grimly, "I don't suppose he could have been sent off to war? My other fear is that, rather than abandon my sister, he is dead." Lorus clutched his head in one of his strong hands as they continued to walk. "For your sister's sake, as well as our own, I hope that cannot be true. Half of her emotional distress is deriving straight from that." Hyleana nodded yet again and looked at her companion. Grabbing his hand she smiled. "Thank you so much for staying by my side." He smiled at her, a reaction that he was now getting used to. "Of course, my lady."

"Speaking of which, the blood elves on the island have been quiet. I never did hear them committing an attack on Exodar." She commented, changing the subject. She'd never told the draenei the plans Lorus had revealed to her simply out of fear that the question of where she'd received the information would lead them straight to him. "I would assume not. It was a death trap for me. And my father knows my sister had a chance to survive it. But a chance is not worth risking one of his finest warriors. No." He shook his head again. "Even at that, the group I came here with did not have the proper provisions for such an conquest. Even if we were to take on Exodar, we could not hold it for long."

Nodding, Hyleana turned towards the moon. "Are you close to your sister?" She knew the answer she was going to get, but she wondered if he'd ever felt anything for his sister as she did for Naedriel. "It goes without saying that we do not see eye to eye. She is better than me in almost every way and is therefor our father's favorite. There will never be a day that I surpass her. I suppose you could say I admire her, however that has recently turned into fear. Unless she left this island, there is a chance that she is still trying to track me down to kill me herself. She is the kind of person who does not stop unless she's found a body."

The conversation had sadly ended there and the two made way back to the tent were Naedriel was surrounded by crumpled up pieces of parchment, sobbing. "Hyleana I can't figure out what to write to him!" she cried as her sister came into view. "Naedriel you can't just use up all this parchment and not intend to use it!" She rushed forward to pick up the now destroyed pieces. "But Hyleana, I need to send another letter! It's not a possibility that he wouldn't respond right?" she cried. Frowning, she helped her sister to her feet and lead her into the tent. She didn't want her sister to give up hope, but almost another month had passed since her arrival and there hadn't been a word from the naval officer.

She'd cooed her sister to sleep in her small bed that was against the farthest wall in the tent and also the most cushioned and warmest. "You're good at that." Lorus commented as she crawled into their bed. "I've always taken care of my sister." Hyleana smiled as the two went to bed. "When do you think her child will come?" he asked her. "A few more moons and that will be all." They held each other close in the darkness as sleep began to settle in. Lorus was curious at what the sister night elf's future would entail, however he hoped that she would not stay with them for much longer. While he loved seeing this familial side of his love, he also wanted privacy so that he and Hyleana could work on their future together.

Little did he know what his would own would grant him. The next morning, he saw that his lover was too tired to awaken before him. Since her sister's arrival, Hyleana had worked nonstop to support everyone. Lorus decided to take this opportunity to try and find and make a decent breakfast for the girls. Dawn was approaching and he knew that Naedriel had grown accustomed to a daytime schedule now, but it was taking it's toll on her sleep schedule. _Perhaps eggs or something more lean would be good for her... _He considered the elf's pregnancy.

As he stepped into the forest, he was aware of how dangerous it was for him to even risk this; if anyone from either association found him, he'd be doomed. And, perhaps it was paranoia, but it was already affecting him, for he felt as though someone was staring at him. Turning around, he watched the scenery carefully. Something had caught his eye; a red piece of cloth tied to a tree. He picked it up and examined it carefully.

His eyes bulged in fear as he unraveled it, certain of whom had left this for him. As he opened it, a very small piece of parchment had fallen and hit the ground without a sound. Picking it up, it revealed a note written in Thalassian.

_Dearest Brother, _

_I'll let you play house for a little while longer, but remember that I will find you. But rest assured, I do not want to kill you yet. In fact, I have much use for you as of now. Meet me south of your camp's location. Keep walking and you'll find me. When the sun has told you afternoon, I will be there. _

_Yanbera _

Closing his eyes to take in the moment, he knew he had no other choice. His sister was ruthless and would win at any cost, however she was not a liar. If she could help it, she would restrain her own bloodlust in suit of winning. And from the sounds of it, she needed his help to achieve something. If he didn't comply, he feared Hyleana and her sister's safety.

And that was how Lorus found himself facing his sister on Azuremyst's beach in the middle of the afternoon. He starred at Yanbera with hesitant eyes as she smiled with a triumphant sneer. Her long golden hair glistened in the sun and her green eyes seemed hungry for her brother's destruction. And while she was much shorter than Lorus, he feared her more than any other creature at the moment. "I knew you were such a light hearted fool!" she scoffed. "I have to say, I wasn't surprised to find you living with night elves! They're just as weak and pathetic as you." She began to laugh uncontrollably. "Tell me, which is your woman? Oh and for all that is good say the pregnant one does not bear your child!" she laughed even more.

"No, she is my... Woman's sister..." He didn't like referring to Hyleana that way, but calling her his lover would only peruse his sister's teasing and giving away her name was not an option. "Wonderful! I like to hear that there's not many attachments then." She was in a surprisingly good mood, which could not be a positive thing for Lorus and he knew it. "Have you come here to turn me in to father? Or have you come to kill me?" he asked her. Placing her hands on her small hips she smiled and unnerving smile. "Neither. Surprising, no? I have a proposition for you." He allowed his ears to perk up in interest, but gave her an uneasy stare as she began to circle around him like an predator closing in on it's kill.

"I can convince father to keep you alive. Beat you up a little, I could actually make you a war hero. Say that you were kept prisoner by the draenei, but you never gave away any secrets! We could make up some heroic details and what not later on. I need someone I can trust, and believe me, you'll need to be the one to help me."

"You hate me, why should I believe that?" His gaze was kept evenly with hers as she stopped in front of him. "I need you because father cannot bear anymore children right now. It would take too long for a new heir. And while he'd deem me as his successor, he'd rather," she gave a disgusted look, "use my innocence to lure a suitor with more 'securities' so to speak." His brows furrowed at her, "Father wants to use your marriage as a political pond?" Not that it was unheard of, but it was rare for this to be the case with the blood elf populous.

She nodded. "But if you were to return, and with a heroic tale to tell, then I could use you. And the best part, you can do whatever you want with father's title. You just listen to me and do as I say and we'll be that much closer to what I need." Lorus had no idea of what his sister's so called "needs" entailed, but he still had a few more questions. "Why can I not give you the title once I receive it?" She shook her head, "Father would still have ties and I could easily be replaced. All that would have to be required of me would be to return to father once he needs me to marry some imbecilic bastard and then I come right back after the ceremony. With you in charge, I can continue my own personal work."

Lorus nodded. "So why should I? Because you'll kill the night elves if I do?" he asked her. "What's going to stop me from going back on my word after they've safely left the island?" Her eyes we steady and he knew that she'd thought this plan through well enough to the point where all his questions would be met with well thought out answers. "Hyleana Starfall is her name. Naedriel Starfall, her younger sister. Pregnant with a half-elven child, no?" she asked with a sneer. The comment about Naedriel's child being his was merely to embarrass him, he realized in that moment; this elf had been watching them for some time now. All three of them had never been safe from her gaze and now she knew too much. "I can easily send word to Stormwind as well as their home and have them labeled as traitors. Perhaps the sister could have saved herself if it were not that she's been a refugee with you. Oh, but her older sister can never go back with the relationship she has to you."

Lorus clutched his hands and looked into the sand, shaking with rage. He should have been more careful. And now he was going to loose Hyleana because of his incompetence. Now he proved that he was not the man she needed nor would he even be given the chance to become that man. "So I have to work for you to keep your mouth shut..."

"Exactly. And think of it this way, dear brother." She rested herself on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "At least the little night elf can continue her life after this. What a pity if she were to be labeled as a traitor and never to return to her home. And her sister would have to deliver that scum all by herself! What a shame. But you have the power to change that." She turned away from him quickly and began to retreat into the woods. "I shall be watching. And I shall be back for you tomorrow. Same time, same place."

There was nothing he could do; he knew well enough that his sister had the means to keep the promise she made. And he knew that killing her would do no good; he was certain she had other's planted that knew of the blackmail. No, he decided, there was no way around this.

Lorus was shaking with rage, but by the time he'd calmed himself and made his way back to the camp, he found that there would only be more issues. Sitting at their campfire, a tall draenei sat, staring at him in hostility. "Lorus!" Hyleana cried from behind her. "I knew it." Kazi hissed. Perhaps, Lorus thought, his sacrifice would be for nothing in the end no matter what he chose.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Kazi had heard everything, yet her heart would not stop jumping in rage. Her dark black lips could not stop curving in an angered manner of disgust as she stared at the blood elf in front of her. But what was worse, she felt the eyes of Hyleana boring into her, begging for her to show compassion. "I understand..." Kazi's musical voice said in a hushed tone. "You're in love with a monster... I get that..." she hissed bitterly, feeling as though perhaps she'd fallen in love with a monster herself.

Hyleana felt herself on the verge of tears. "Please tell me you won't report to the Alliance..." She was far too stressed for any more bad luck to happen. Kazi had decided that her curiosity of her night elf friend could not be quenched by the simple visits she paid and had somehow found their camp. Hyleana had hoped that Lorus would stay away, but when the draenei had seen some of his things scattered about, she'd allowed herself to stay long enough. She'd always known that Hyleana had kept a secret, but for it to be something so drastic... She didn't know if she could truly handle it.

She turned to her friend after a few moments with distressed eyes. "Turn you in to the Alliance? Are you crazy? Who do you take me for Hyleana?" she heard her voice crack as she said it; she worried she would not be able to contain her tears for much longer. "Hyleana do you even know... H-how I..." she trailed of and rubbed away premature tears, recognizing that others were watching the scene unfold before them.

She pulled her dark hair over to one side and starred at the burnt out fire pit. "Forget it." She sighed as she stared into its blackness. Hyleana had no idea what the draenei was trying to tell her, but she knew that this was a shocking moment and that it must have taken a great toll on her friend. "I must say something." Lorus finally spoke up. He knew how tired and pressed Hyleana was, but time was not on their side and he would need to tell her of his sister's visit.

Once he finished his story, he opened his eyes to finally face his love's distraught look. "A-are you saying... Are you saying that I have to leave you?" she asked in a hushed voice, but he could hear it shattering like a thin layer of glass. He nodded slowly. "But we just managed to..."

"Hyleana, I knew that something like this was bound to happen. Please," he turned to Naedriel who'd been silent the entire time and gave off an uneasy presence, "Go prepare yourself for departure..." Hyleana rushed up and grabbed the cloth of his shirt. "Where am I supposed to go?" she hissed, her eyes wide and frantic. "Am I to live without you Lorus?" she asked, beginning to sob. "I don't know, Hyleana I haven't had time to really think things out!" he wrapped his hands around hers. "All I know is that you need to get out of here and go somewhere safe! Please, do not do this for me but for your sister! Yanbera knows her name, and I will be damned if she banishes a woman heavy with child! Do you want your sister to be exiled and forced to give birth alone? I know you cannot do this by yourself." Lorus felt tears of his own spill down his cheeks.

Hyleana felt as though the world wasn't real. All she'd ever wanted was to lead a life of solitude and one of her own, and now here she was loosing the one person she was willing to push that ideal aside for. Crying, she spun off into the tent to mourn by herself. He turned to meet the forceful blow of Kazi's fist. "I deserve that." He nodded as he held his soon to be bruised chin. "You should never make that woman cry like that." He stared into the blank white eyes of the taller creature.

"You have feelings for her, do you not?" Lorus asked after a few beats. "That's why you're angry. It's not only that she's with a Horde member, but that she's even claimed by anyone at all." Another purple fist met his face. He opened his eyes to see that Kazi was now crying herself. The tears that collected on this day were by far too many.

"If you truly do, please go with her. I assure you of my love for her. That is why I leave her now. If I stay she will be condemned and I could not ask her, especially her sister, to live that sort of life for me. But if there is a chance for her to be happy again, then I welcome it. Please..."

"I will make her happier than you ever could, if given the chance." Kazi spat at him with determination. "She's by far more than Horde filth such as yourself deserved! And if you think for a second that I didn't consider going with her from the start, then I hope you die a humiliating death." Lorus smiled and reached his hand up to touch his hurting jaw yet again. "Thank you, draenei."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hey guys, just realized that this chapter was completely unreadable. Sorry for the screw up! Hope this works for you guys now, if it happens again in the future please don't hesitate to let me know! **

Chapter Fourteen

The four had finally packed up the tent and left nothing but a hollow shell that used to be a home. Now they all sat around the fire pit as a pale glow warned them that their night was over. Hyleana was grief stricken still and seemed entirely exhausted, but she knew this was for her sister and she needed to react accordingly. "Hyleana... You're giving up your chance at happiness for me." Her sister had wept in the tent when no one could hear them. "It is a small price to pay for my sister's safe future." She'd responded, although no light seemed to fill her voice.

But now that she sat here, she wondered why there wasn't some way around this. If it had just been her and Lorus, perhaps she wouldn't have mind being labeled as a traitor to her kind. But she didn't know the first thing about having children and knew her sister would not be safe in such a condition. It was this way, or no way.

No one spoke for quite some time, but finally Kazi's voice filled the air. "We shall travel to Stormwind. Once there, we shall look for the child's father. If possible, your sister should stay with him." The draenei dipped her horns respectfully to Naedriel. "And from there, we should leave to the Blasted Lands. There we could find work to help support your sister with the coming of a child. Either way, Stormwind is the safest place for her, no matter what. It's easy to for protection and the easiest to escape from if things go wrong, in the worst case possible." She added with a glare to Lorus.

Nodding absently, Hyleana stared off into the distance. Perhaps she had been to greedy and that was why she could not keep the man she loved, but it mattered not because now she was going to loose him. "Let us go first, Kazi." Naedriel spoke in a soft voice. The draenei was hesitant at first, but picked up a few bags and began to head towards Azure Watch with the druid. Once they were out of sight and into the woods, Lorus fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Hyleana's waist. "Thank you." He whispered; his shoulders began to shake as he sobbed silently. "Thank you for showing me who I truly am." Grabbing her hands, he reached up and pulled her down to his height to kiss her. "No matter what, I will always love you, Hyleana." He hushed. "And if ever the chance, I shall find you and I shall be with you again..."

Hyleana stayed frozen, although tears were beginning to fall down her face and she couldn't understand why. Why was she still crying? Hadn't she cried enough tears to fill all the rivers and oceans in Azeroth? She kissed him back and held him close to her. "Tell me it's not the end."

"It's not... It's a new beginning for you." He whispered. "Please. Move forward without me if you can. Please promise me you'll move forward no matter what happens to me." He begged her. "I can't."

"You can."

"Lorus."

"Kene'thil surfas!" he screamed at her. "I love you Hyleana!" he said again in common. "Please... Please move forward..." he cried. "You stupid night elf..." he couldn't help but smile as he held their faces close together. "I'll prove to you I'm not stupid." She smiled back. "I shall move forward." She finally vowed to her now ex-lover.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The ride to Stormwind had been long and merciless. After two boat trips, Hyleana was wondering if she'd ever find herself on stable land ever again. It had been about a three weeks trip to the large city, and though she was sullen for most of it, she found that seeing it's cold stature was somewhat of a comfort as the ship came into port.

"I don't even know where to start looking." Naedriel quivered as they arrived. Her belly was swelling to a noticeable size and many on the ship had been in awe to see a pregnant night elf, let alone one away from home. "We should start asking around here. It is a port after all." Kazi nodded. She was a tower when compared to the humans, and Hyleana couldn't help but snicker as she saw the faces of men cower in the draenei's presence.

The nagging feeling that this man would never be found seemed to settle between all three of them as they asked more and more people around the docks. "No luck with that person either." Kazi huffed, clearly irritated. "He was of the navy, how hard can it be?"

"What was his name?" an older voice said from behind the small group of women. As they turned around, they met a withered face etched with lines of age. The man was shorter then all of them, mostly because he slouched quite a bit. He clearly had battle wounds, but now his age was beginning to hide them a little more. "Mace Taylors." The nervous druid spoke up. "You're in luck. He just came to port yesterday. He's been away on military business for quite some time. But this city's so large, you'd be surprised how hard it is to find one man. He's at a local inn further into town, you should be able to find him there now."

Naedriel couldn't help herself as she opened her arms and tightened them around the small man. "Thank you so much!" she smiled and felt tears in her eyes. "We should hurry." Kazi noted as they began to head into town. From behind her, they heard him shout, "Good luck with your child miss!"

Naedriel seemed so overwhelmed that Hyleana could not help but feel jealous. Perhaps, she thought, she'd grow old and bitter of younger lovers. She knew that she could never have the happy reunion that her sister was about to receive. As the younger one rushed up ahead, Kazi hushed in her ear, "Do not be jealous just yet. There is a chance this man will want nothing to do with her." Hyleana nodded at the disturbing words, knowing they held some truth.

Once they'd found the correct inn, after much tedious questioning, and found the correct room, after another round of unreasonable interrogating and the explanation that it was urgent business, the trio found themselves staring at a heavy wooden door. No one made a sound, and Naedriel seemed to loose all confidence in that moment. "Hyleana... What if he's already read my letter and doesn't want-?"

"Just go." Her sister urged. Whatever horrors lay beyond that wooden door, Hyleana would be there to take care of her sister no matter what. Her sister turned to her with wide amber eyes and it was then and only then that Hyleana realized what a child she'd been leading up to this moment. She'd silently been hoping that her sister would regret this meeting and that all that could go wrong would go wrong all because of her own bitter feelings. But Lorus had wanted her to move on from him and find happiness elsewhere. And now that she saw the terrified look in her sister's eyes, Hyleana realized that she'd not been keeping her promise to Lorus and she most certainly was not being a righteous older sister.

"I'll always be here, remember?" Hyleana tried to fight back tears as she stared into the innocent amber eyes. Taking a deep breath, Naedriel turned and knocked on the door. "I'm busy!" responded a flustered voice from behind the door. "What could it be?" Hyleana heard it thick with an unmistakable human accent, although it did not sound unattractive. "State your business!" It snapped again. Hyleana prepared for the worst, and she could see her companion's muscles tense with the same reaction. "It's me." Naedriel could barely bring her voice to be loud enough to hear, but somehow it had reached his ears and the door opened in an instant.

Before them stood a young man with splayed black hair the color of coal. He had dark brown eyes and looked as though he hadn't shaved for a day or two. Under his thin cotton clothes, Hyleana could see muscles ripple with scars as he showed the sign of a capable warrior. "Naedriel!" he cried and rushed to hug the night elf. "I just came back to port the other day and as soon as I received word, I prepared to leave!" Hyleana could see that he was telling the truth for the room was in complete ruin by the man trying to pack for himself.

She could see her sister's expression soften and smile with joy from the side. _Good, we need no more tragedies._ She told herself, although she'd not quite disregarded her previous feelings just yet. "Please come in!" the young man offered, a scattered version of confusion seemed to grow on his face as he looked to both the draenei and Hyleana. Once they'd crammed themselves inside, Naedriel explained that Hyleana was her elder sister and Kazi was her traveling companion. "Tell him everything." Hyleana piped up as her sister began to delve into a censored version of the company she'd been staying with on Azuremyst Isle. Looking up at her older sister from where she sat, it was clear that she was unsure that it be a good idea. "He needs to know." Was all it took for Hyleana to clear her hesitation.

Once she'd given out full details, a look of concern grew on the man's face. "I need you to care for my younger sister during a time when I cannot." Hyleana spoke up. "It's best if I am not around her for some time." Mace looked between all the companions before agreeing with a nod. "Stormwind may not always be safe, but as far as anywhere else goes, it's the best place for Naedriel to have our child as well as raise them. I cannot say for sure whether they'll be accepted by this society or not..." he tilted his heavy head to the side. "But I know that they will have a warm family to come back to and a safe home by the end of the night."

Naedriel's eyes widened with his words. "You mean you want to raise this child with me?" There was something catching in her throat and she could barely bring her voice above a whisper. "Was there ever any doubt?" Mace looked at her with disbelief. "They're my child and I love both they and you!" he grabbed her hands. Both Kazi and Hyleana found themselves looking away in slight embarrassment at the gooiness of the moment; both felt slightly sick by the sight.

"Well then, if that is all, I think it is best we move on right away." Kazi said, exiting the room. Naedriel stood up and looked to her sister. "You're leaving already?" While Hyleana didn't feel entirely right leaving her sister with someone she herself didn't know, she could trust her sister's opinion and knew it would be best if she left sooner rather than later. "Naedriel, it's for the best we go our separate ways for now. Once I've settled down in an area that allows, I'll send word to you, ok? Tell me when the child is born and I swear I will come back to greet them as soon as I can." She smiled pulling her younger sister into a caring embrace.

Once their goodbyes were said, Hyleana left the couple to their lives and rejoined her companion that awaited outside the inn. "Ready?" Kazi smiled. The sun was going down and the two had only just arrived, but Hyleana wanted to take the first gryphon out of Stormwind before she could change her mind and stay with her sister. The sadness in her eyes panged at Kazi's heart; she hated to see the beautiful woman in such pain. "Hyleana... While you may loose some, you know that you will gain some as well..." she hesitated to say. The yawn of the night elf's saber seemed to stir her from her emotions as she looked at the large cat with a smile. "You're right. I will always have my sister and I will always have Haru. And now, I have you." She smiled. As the two walked towards the flight master's keep, Kazi felt a warm glow at her friend's words. _I will do my best to be the very best version of myself for you..._ She vowed.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks so much for reading, I just wanted to warn you all that the story takes a lot of turns from here, it is by no means over (it might feel like that for some, I don't know). I figure nows as good a time as any to ask, but if you guys leave me a review to tell me how you think the story is doing it'd be really appreciated! Any advice helps and I'd like to make it enjoyable for you guys! :) Thanks!

Chapter Sixteen

Time passed at an unusually fast rate for Hyleana. It seemed like only yesterday she'd left her sister at an inn in Stormwind and arrived at the Blasted Lands only a few days worth of travel later. "Are you ready to go?" She felt strong arms slip around her waist and pull her close. "Almost, just a few more items and we'll be ready to trudge through the damned portal." She smiled.

It had been over twelve years since her departure from Azuremyst Isle. During that time, her sister had had a young girl named Yleleae Taylors; although she sometimes used her mother's name depending on the situation. Naedriel married Mace, whom soon left the military to peruse a more frivolous career of a mage. Naedriel suspected this was due to the fact that he could live a longer life if he tried hard enough, as many mages found. While it was difficult, he was still young enough to learn and the masters were understanding of his need. Hyleana had been back to see the child multiple times, although she could never forget the day she'd first seen her.

Although it had not been under the best of circumstances. Her mother had heard news and was coming to visit her new grandchild as well. "Sister," Hyleana said. "I fear for you, please allow me to stay and fight beside you." Her mother would not agree with the child's presence, although if Hyleana was there, perhaps her sister would not have such a harsh time. "No doubt mother's price would be for you to go back with her. I won't hear of it. Go back with Kazi and now!" Her sister had rushed. Her sister's eyes had said her unspoken words; _you've already given up too much for me. It is time I fight my own battles. _

The fight had been brutal, from what Naedriel's letter wrote, but in the end, her mother could not mark her as a traitor nor could she take the child away from her family. Their mother had left without another word. Naedriel, as she'd written, missed their mother's more affectionate side, but knew that she was an adult who'd made this decision on her own. _I will be fine, sweet sister. For I have a family of my own now! And father still sends word to me, proud if I may say so. I am certain that all will be well._ She'd written cheerfully.

While her sister had been happy enough, Hyleana had pushed through her days in a much different manner. Through her first year, she'd spent most of her time in some form of solitude, still struggling to keep her promise to Lorus. She thought of him more than once and a while and constantly grew afraid of what fate had in store for him. But her own fate was just as uncertain, and she soon realized that living in the Blasted Lands was enough reason to worry about herself before someone else who was clearly better off.

It was her second year that surprised her. All this while, Kazi had never left her side, and Hyleana had never questioned it. The two spoke to each other often and had become closer friends then either would have imagined; or so she thought. It was earlier in her third year that Hyleana had had too much ale and Kazi had helped her back to her room. After a while, Kazi asked if she'd be okay by herself. Hyleana grew very stiff as the ale had lead her to a conclusion she should have figured out on her own a long time ago.

"Why did you stay?" she finally asked in a half drunken blur. "I think you know why." Kazi said leaving the room. The interaction had not been easy on the draenei herself either. While night elves may live incredible life spans, draenei lived even longer than that. She'd seen and lived through all the horrors her people had been cursed with up until that point. She was older and wiser than any of the elves, or so Hyleana liked to think, but she was not well versed in love any more than the night elf she'd just left.

Hyleana could not deny that she'd felt emotions for the draenei since the day they'd met, and perhaps had she never met Lorus, she would have had a more solid future with her. At first her emotions were a frenzy she could not stop, but finally she decided that she needed to move on from Lorus, as he'd wanted. In all the time that she'd been gone, she'd never received word from him. After she convinced herself to give Kazi a try, she'd gathered the courage and knocked on her door. "Yes?" the musical voice answered. "I think I know why you stayed with me." Hyleana finally spoke, weeks after their initial conversation.

On the other side of the door, Kazi smiled gently. "And?" she asked, her voice barely catching through the wooden door. "And, while I'm still wounded, I want to try to give my heart to you." Hyleana could not promise much, but what she could give, she would. Since that day, the two had been together. And now years had passed of them being romantic interests, which made Hyleana blush at the thought. She was happy to be in something stable and something more accepted. Kazi was of the Alliance, and while her mother may have frowned on her being of a different race, Hyleana knew that their love was more accepted in every aspect of Alliance territory and she had nothing to fear; as was the case with Lorus.

Now the two were being sent through the Dark Portal that lead to the Outlands. "We shall be going to Zangarmarsh. From there, who knows?" Kazi smiled as the couple packed, side-by-side. Hyleana smiled as she sat on the bed. "I have to admit, while I don't like taking orders from anyone, I do appreciate the money they've paid us. Perhaps I can buy you a proper present once we are among your people." Hyleana smiled. "Your presence is a present enough." Kazi smiled as she leaned in to kiss the night elf.

Hyleana dropped off one last letter to her sister and got on the gryphon that would lead them to a new world entirely. Every now and then, her mind wondered about Lorus, but since she'd been with Kazi it happened much less. She knew that the draenei loved her with all of her heart, and Hyleana felt the same way. She realized before hand that she never had thought through her previous relationship; perhaps she'd just assumed things would work themselves out in the end. And while she knew that this relationship could actually work, she was hesitant about what it could hold. Her fear of failure made her heart ache. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint the woman she loved.

A week's worth of non-stop travel and they'd arrived to one of the most beautiful places Hyleana had ever set eyes on. They'd made their way to a giant mushroom upon which Telredor had resided. They stayed at a fine inn, which overlooked all of the gorgeous marshlands. It was misty and blue, but Hyleana could spot each spore sack that glowed orange in the night, like small fires. "It is so beautiful here." She smiled as she laid on their bed to look out through the curtains behind the headboard. The air was so fresh and heavy with humidity, but she found it to be somewhat comforting.

"This land is not as beautiful as you." Kazi chuckled from the corner as she began to unpack. "Oh silence your romance." Hyleana laughed as she threw a pillow playfully at her love. Kazi caught it with her one free hand and rolled her eyes. "You ruin so much of my enjoyment." The two had been exhausted from their seemingly endless journey and slept for most of the day, holding each other close as they did. At night, which to Hyleana did not seem much different from day in this new land, the couple came out to find work. "We need a good hunter to replenish our stores, if that's okay." said a handsome draenei as the two asked what they could be of assistance for. Haru growled at his new challenge; he hated travel by flight and hadn't been able to properly hunt in days.

While Kazi had worked in the warrior's field, she was still quite handy and Hyleana found that she'd grown heavily reliant on her companion during their quests. The two had made their way deeper into the marsh and soon came upon the Umbrafen village they'd been warned about. Hyleana saw sadness deepen in her companion's eyes as she stared at the distant figures that had once been her fellow draenei. "I'm fine. I just..." she stared off. Those whom inhabited the Umbrafen village were once draenei, however due to the cataclysmic events, they'd devolved from their previous state and were now nothing more than a race of broken people, most beyond repair. "We still were able to save some of the Broken... They were not so primitive... The light saved them..." Kazi was able to choke out.

Hyleana lead the group away from the heart wrenching sight, knowing Kazi would not leave otherwise. While her demeanor was usually that of a strong person, Hyleana knew it was hard to watch those you could almost call family turn to such a being. From what she'd seen, the draenei's take on community was not so different from the night elves'. And while Hyleana was young, her ancient race had experienced this with both the Naga and perhaps even the harpies that inhabited their lands. When Queen Azshara, a high elf, dabbled with taboo magic she'd damned countless Kaldorei to a forsaken life as Naga after making a pact with the Old Gods to save her people from their flooding capital. And legend depicts that harpies were a tribe of night elven women who'd betrayed the very same queen and had been cursed as their punishment.

While Hyleana could not feel the same pain Kazi felt for the Lost Ones, she could still understand the toll these events took on their people. "I will be fine. I am stronger than this." Kazi said after they'd rested in silence for a moment. "I'm getting a little too old for this nonsense as it is. I want to enjoy my life." She allowed her white gaze to oversee something in the distance, and Hyleana kept an even stare at her partner's soften face. "I hope I get to experience the rest of my life with you, Hyleana." The ancient draenei smiled as she fell on her back to look up at the cloud-covered sky.

Hyleana felt herself blush in embarrassment. Kazi had two very unnerving habits that Hyleana had never quite gotten used to; one was that she was extraordinarily overprotective of her night elf lover and two that she always talked about a very distant future as though it were certain. Hyleana had worried in their first year together about giving the draenei all of her heart. But it hadn't taken long for her to fall completely in love with Kazi and give the tall amazon her all. But for some reason, Hyleana never got over the nerves Kazi always gave her when she spoke of such things.

"Me too." She smiled as she tapped the tip of her leather boots in the stream in front of them. She stared at the ripples and watched them go; her life was much like that, one ripple after the next. She thought back to how she'd wanted to desperately live a life of her own and not concern herself with political parties and indifferent races. To find herself in such a life felt almost like a dream. Kazi watched her for a few moments, recognizing that something was catching the gorgeous creature in a trance.

"Hyleana..." she started to say, but was more afraid of what she should say. The night elf turned to face her, but Kazi turned away blushing. "Never mind..." she trailed off in embarrassment. She knew in her heart that she loved the night elf, but feared that those feelings were only one sided. "I don't think about him much. Not anymore, really." Hyleana spoke up suddenly. It was as though she could gather some of her partner's thoughts.

"The blood elf?" she asked. "It's been twelve years Kazi. I know I may never cross paths with him. We left on good terms, and I know I need to hold on to that. What I don't need to hold on to is a story that will never write another page." She turned to face Kazi with her deep silver eyes. Leaning in close she kissed the draenei passionately. "I want to think about my future and nothing else." Kazi sat up and wrapped her arms around the small night elf. "I won't disappoint you." She vowed as a smile charmed her face.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Long time, no see! It's been like... Years. Anyways. I'm here to publish some stuff. To be very honest, it has been a long time since I wrote this fanfic and all that was left to do was to publish, but I never got around to it. I plan to publish more regularly, but I have not re-read any of this content (basically if it's bad, I'm sorry). My writing has improved a lot over the last few years, but regardless, I just wanted to publish the WoW fanfics I have in storage! :) I still hope you like them. Not sure what this chapter was about but oh well, here goes nothing! **

Chapter 17

Terrokar Forest was not far now, Hyleana noted as the two passed the Umbrafen village and crossed the border. Today, they would be making a trip to Shattrath City to deliver a package from Telredor. The contents were unknown, but Hyleana had been assured that the two were not carrying anything of major importance. They were given elekks, which meant that the journey would only last a day, but they would have to stay the night.

"The city was once beautiful." Kazi was saying as the elekks made their way over the border in a clumsy manner. "That was until the orcs attacked us. Now it's not exactly... Safe. Please be on your guard especially when in the slums." What the draenei kept hidden was her knowledge of the high blood elf populous that inhabited Shattrath these days. _I just need to make sure we don't go near them... Needless to say it would be problematic for everyone if that man were to be here..._

In the recent years, Kazi had learned to let go of her bitterness towards the blood elf, as it more had to do with him being with Hyleana than anything else. In some aspects, she had him to thank for even being with Hyleana, and in other's she admired him. He gave up his life to save Hyleana and her family. With that in mind, Kazi could not hate the small creature entirely. However, she did remember her vow to him, and if Hyleana saw him, Kazi feared that her safety may be in question. _And what if her love was rekindled... _

Kazi pushed the thought out of her mind as soon as it had entered. She would not allow herself to feel such a sorrowful emotion nor think such negative thoughts. She needed to believe that Hyleana would be true to her no matter what the circumstances may be. The two moved deeper into the forest and Hyleana's eyes grew wide. Kazi was surprised that the night elf had not traveled so far before and often forgot that this land was new and exciting for her. "Beautiful no?"

Hyleana smiled and practically purred; Kazi's voice was so enchanting with its musical accent. "I love that I get to share this with you." She smiled. Kazi felt her heart warm; the two had been so close that she was excited to see that her vows were kept. She hoped that Hyleana could stay happy even if she did see the blood elf in the city. But what would be the chances of finding him here in the Outlands?

The city was in shambles, but it's beauty was still obvious. The dim lighting made its lanterns glow and the amount of people fascinated Hyleana as their elekks entered the city. "Wow..." she let her jaw drop at the draenei's home gem. "You're people are so amazing Kazi..." Kazi smiled at her compliment. "However," Hyleana turned to her, her silver eyes filled with mischief. "I don't think I've ever met a draenei as beautiful as you." Blushing, she led her elekk to bump Hyleana's mount lightly. "Oh hush, we're entering the city now."

They made their way into the Terrace of Light where the package was supposed to be delivered, to which Kazi thanked the Naaru that Hyleana had not spotted the blood elf area off in Scryer's Tier. Hyleana, Kazi saw now, was enchanted by the naaru that resided in the Terrace of Light. Her eyes widened as her ears with filled with gorgeous music; somehow it's sound reminded her of Kazi's accent, and it was beautiful. Kazi had been to Shattrath many times and had even lived there for a short while, but she allowed Hyleana a few more moments to embrace the beauty that was the center of the city.

"Hyleana." She stirred her partner. "We should head to our rooms now. It's going to be night soon." The night elf turned around, her long teal hair swirling behind her. "Can't we see the rest of the city? I'm eager to see such a historical place for your people." Kazi thought about it nervously; not only was there the ever-looming threat of running into the blood elf, Kazi also knew that the city was no longer the vision of safety that it had once been. But she recognized that Hyleana saw this place as historical, as she was much younger than Kazi, not to mention, she'd noticed the night elf's love for history. Privately, the thought alone that a place she'd seen age this far was historical to her girlfriend made Kazi feel just a little too old.

"Fine... We'll look around, but do not wander off!" she'd compromised. The smaller night elf grabbed her love's hand and rushed off into the city, eager to see what she could find. "Kazi, I want to learn as much as I can about the draenei." Smiling, Kazi could see that the night elf loved her with all of her heart. The thought alone fueled Kazi to keep trying for her and to also keep her faith strong in her partner.

She had to admit, however, that she'd never seen Hyleana as childish as she'd been on that day. The night elf had run from one stand to the next, her saber faithfully following after her, in search of new things to stare at and learn about. _I don't think our wallets will survive this... _Kazi thought to herself with a sigh as she recognized her love was buying as many books as her satchel could carry. "Hyleana." She finally grasped her attention. "Would you like to see something different?" she offered. Hyleana walked over to the draenei and closed the space between them. "What is it?" she asked. "You know, I used to live here. Before the orcs attacked, that is." She smiled with her darks lips managing to make it look convincing that the thought did not bother her.

"Really?" Hyleana's eyes were wide with shock. "Just how old are you love?" she finally managed to breathe. "Old enough." Kazi smacked her lightly on the back of her teal head. "Come, I will show you where I used to live." The couple was currently in the lower city and Kazi explained that in her time it was not a slum, so she lived on the bottom floor. It only took them a few moments to arrive at a now abandoned home that Kazi had once resided in. "I lived here with a few others..." she commented. "I didn't need all this space for myself."

"Where are they now?" Hyleana asked with hesitation. Kazi's muscles tensed a bit, and Hyleana could tell that she'd brought a terrible memory back to her lover's mind. "I'm sorry..." she said, looking towards the ground. "Velen chose me." She said after a moment of silence. "When the orcs attacked, he knew he could not save all his people. And if we all left, the orcs would only come after us... Some of us... Remained here to die." She finished. Her accent was broken and if Hyleana had not known Kazi for so long, she probably would not have been able to fully understand her. Buy Hyleana knew that words were not needed for the pain she clearly recognized.

A single tear streamed down the dark purple flesh and Hyleana slowly made her way to wipe it away. Kazi looked down at the smaller woman. "We're here together now. No matter what has happened in our pasts, we can push through it together." Hyleana smiled.

The two held each other's hands for a few moments before they turned to leave, but Kazi saw the man before Hyleana. Grabbing her in an instant, she reached down to kiss the night elf in hopes of distracting her. Once she'd successfully spun her around, Hyleana looked up to face her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I was just feeling passionate." Kazi said quickly, but she knew she could not lie to Hyleana. The night elf peered behind Kazi and saw him almost instantly.

Lorus Sunblade was in Shattrath City, as well as his murderous sister Yanbera Sunblade. Her eyes widened as she recognized the armor he wore was that of great importance; she knew without a doubt that he'd succeeded in claiming his father's heir. Her eyes widened as she stared at the pair; the two were talking to lower ranked blood elves and paying no mind to those around them. Hyleana then felt a cold rage fill her heart. "Hyleana..." Kazi was unsure of what to say. "Let's go." Hyleana grabbed her new lover's hand and lead the two to where they were to be sleeping that night.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Her heart felt as though it had fallen into an unwanted turmoil. His hair had grown longer and was pulled back into a low ponytail, a few scars now adorned his face and he'd built up much more muscle since the last time she'd seen him. But despite these changes, Hyleana knew that it was still him. It was still the same Lorus Sunblade that had promised they would never cross paths again. And yet twelve years later, she found herself seeing him in the lower city of Shattrath.

Kazi, she could tell, was considerably concerned and Hyleana could not blame her. As the larger draenei slept silently beside her, her arms protectively defending her waist, Hyleana could not help but to feel a sense of unease. She knew why Kazi had kept quiet, as the guilt had perused her to tell Hyleana her fear of meeting the blood elf had been there from the start. And Hyleana could not blame her lover for keeping such fears away; she was, after all, protecting Hyleana with all her might.

Despite being usually nocturnal, Hyleana found that she wanted to sleep in such a desperate manner. Although Elune would not comfort her on this night. The Kaldorei silently left her room, being certain that neither Kazi nor Haru woke up as she made her leave. She knew that Shattrath was not safe at night, but she could not resist the urge to leave the cramped room and gather at least some fresh air.

Walking down the stairs, she found the exit that lead into the lower city. She made her way through the empty streets and found that even the beggars were sleeping by this point. Somehow, she made it back to the home Kazi had showed her earlier that day and allowed her thoughts to wonder for a moment. Kazi was considerably older than she, and Hyleana considered the thought that maybe she'd lost a considerable amount of loved ones during her life before Azuremyst. The thought saddened her when she thought of how Kazi may not have only lost family, but lovers as well. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she recognized the pain the draenei must have dealt with daily.

And yet, Hyleana only added to that burden by not being able to love her to the fullest extent. _I know I love her... But we've never even said it to each other. And even at that point... What if something goes wrong like it did with Lorus... _Although, the night elf admitted to herself, this relationship was by far the easiest. Acceptance was at almost every corner and there was no need for them to keep their love hidden. They were of the Alliance and that came above all else. She knew that she could be herself fully around Kazi and that the older woman would never judge her for her thoughts nor feelings.

A knife was held tightly at her throat before she could realize what was happening. "Got any gold?" The smell of rancid breath hit her nose, but Hyleana was not even phased by the weak beggar that had dared to fight a seasoned huntress. She'd gotten out of his weak grip easily with only a mere scratch on her neck. In surprise, the dirty man had stumbled to the ground. Disarming him, she bared her fangs in a menacing manner. "Please don't hurt me! I'm just poor!" the man cried in a cliché manner. "Just get out of here." Hyleana snapped, throwing the small knife as it hit a crack in the stone perfectly beside the man.

Once the beggar had rushed back off into the shadows, Hyleana heard a deep voice rumble from behind her. "My, you really are just as vicious as the day we met." It was deeper than she'd remembered, but as she turned green eyes that glowed in the night met her. "Lorus Sunblade." She felt his name touch her lips after twelve years of never even uttering it. "Hyleana Starfall." He smiled sadly.

"This is not how I pictured our reunion after all this time." She smiled, folding her arms over her chest. Chuckling, he nodded. "I suppose you're right. I never really thought that I'd even get to see you again. But now here we are." Something was wrong about the interaction and Hyleana could feel it. When she'd first seen him in the city, she'd been in too much of a shock to recognize the power that emanated off him. "You've changed." She commented.

He nodded slowly, his eyes keeping an even hold on hers. "More or less." He dared to walk near her, but for some reason, she slowly backed away. "Afraid of me?" he asked her, recognizing that her posture was now slightly defensive. "A bit. I'm not sure you're the same person I shared a tent with all those moons ago." Her silver eyes were suspicious and she knew that dropping her guard was out of the question, no matter how much she'd longed to see him again.

There was one movement that caught her eye and it told her everything. A small, agitated twitch under his left green eye happened in almost an instant. But once it was gone, it left an uneasy feeling in Hyleana's chest. This was not the man she'd fallen in love with, and she was not even sure that that same man even existed anymore. "You're with the draenei woman now I see." He stated. "Have you spotted us before?" Hyleana made note. "Not I. Yanbera saw you rush away earlier today. She said you seemed rather close to the woman you were with. I can only assume it's Kazeleora, the draenei from Azuremyst?"

Hyleana nodded. "We've been together for many years now." She straightened her posture to show her confidence in her new relationship. "I see. So you've abandoned all feelings for me then?" Another twitch made its way under the same exact eye. Hyleana felt a fear grow in her. "To be honest, no. There may always be a part of me that loves you, but we both knew it was never to be." She said looking down at the ground. "We made our decision to part ways.

"And besides, Kazi has treated me well over these last twelve years. She loves me with all of her heart." Hyleana finished. "But you cannot give all of yours to her?" Silver eyes flashed back at his green. "Why do you assume such a thing?" He closed his eyes and chuckled slightly. "I can read it on your face as easily as I can read Darnassian." Hyleana wanted to spit, she felt so insulted that he dare remind her of their time teaching each other their cousin languages.

"I do love her, and you know nothing of me anymore. I am a language, now evolved." She hissed at his ignorance and arrogance. Another twitch and this time his eyebrows furrowed. "You intend to spend your life with this woman?" he asked her. "Yes. What more am I to do? I can never go back to you and I could never just abandon her after all the time we've shared together. I do love her." Hyleana felt her expression soften and her eyes fill with sorrow as she looked at the love she'd had to regrettably leave.

"What if I could take you back with me?" he asked her after a heavy moment of silence settled between the two. "What?" she asked in disbelief, her face wearing an expression to match. "If I could take you back with me, would you go?" he asked. Hyleana thought for a moment, and not because she was seriously considering it. No, she'd abandoned that dream long ago. She thought carefully about his words because there was something wrong with them. Something very evil and full of jealousy and rage. Something only the sin'dorei could feel. "No. And we shall make sure never to cross paths again, Sunblade."

She felt an ache in her heart. After all that time together and after how much he'd changed in her name, what could turn this man back into such a backwards and dangerous being? "Why do you think that?" he asked suddenly. "I leave in the morning. And besides, was it not our goal to never see each other again?" She felt her hackles rise and she turned to leave. "Do not fear, love. We shall meet again. Fate is made, not decided."

Hyleana did not turn around to face him as she left, but she did feel a shiver run up and down her spine. What had he meant by those words? There was no way she'd see him again. As he'd said, fate was made and not decided. And if that were the truth, then she would make sure never to see him again. _I must tell Kazi of tonight..._ She thought as she began to sprint back to her room once she was sure she was out of the blood elf's sight. She had loved him, but no longer could she harbor that feeling. She loved Kazi, and that she knew to be true.


	19. Chapter 19

**TRIGGER WARNING: Hi everyone, I just wanted to put in a trigger warning for this chapter and explain something very, very important before readers read this. 1) This fanfiction is actually a lot longer than you would expect. Right now, the time period is more of an elongated version of the war, but it will be going into Warlords next time with the same characters. 2) There is a lot of violence in this scene and, because both Hyleana and Kazi are queer, I do not want people to get the wrong idea. Please keep the Warlords story line in mind when you read this chapter, because Kazi will probably show up in a later fiction. I do not want to spoil the next fanfic, but I also don't want people thinking they were queer-baited either. Being a queer woman myself, I feel uncomfortable watching violence directed towards queer people, but that being said, I do not play into tropes. The violence in this scene has nothing to do with Hyleana or Kazi's sexual orientation and there will be many more queer characters later on in other fics. If you need to skip this chapter, you can go to the bottom of the page for a short summary. I've hesitated posting this because of recent events, but I also feel it'd be wrong of me to change the story because of them. Hyleana was actually a way I coped with my own coming out and queerness when I was in high school and so I never wanted to alter what my previous self had written. I feel a lot differently now that I'm at least three years older than the person I was when I wrote this. That being said, I still felt someone needed to say something about this chapter so that people did not get the wrong message. **

Chapter Nineteen

Kazi hadn't slept once Hyleana had woken her up. She'd been sure to pack their things as quickly as possible, but she knew that they could not leave by elekks at this hour. They would have to walk back to the Zangarmarsh. Hyleana said she'd not minded, but Kazi could tell that was a lie. As they silently made their way out of the city, Kazi draped her arm over her lover. "It's going to be okay. I promise I will keep you safe." Kazi smiled. Although she had to admit, she was surprised herself at the change in the blood elf. Never before had she thought him to be such a man to change in such a short amount of time. It was not as though he were one of the younger races; twelve years was almost nothing. _Something is wrong, and it's now even more dangerous for Hyleana to be here... _She decided as she led the small elf out of the city.

Hyleana held up her strong front, but she silently admitted to herself that she was somewhat traumatized by her recent interaction with Lorus. She'd loved him, and what had once been a noble and romantic sacrifice had now turned into something dangerous and horrific. She could not imagine what could have happened to her once shining love. _It matters not. You have Kazi now. _She reminded herself as she took comfort in the heat that rolled off of Kazi.

And yet despite the comfort she received, she could not get rid of the nagging feeling that someone was watching them, and she was certain of who it was. "Kazi, we need to run now." She hissed as she grabbed her partner's hand. The two fled over their initial path and rushed deep into the forest. "Hyleana the road is back that way!" Kazi hissed under her breath. "We are being followed. Stay with me." Hyleana could hear them now, two of them were tracking them down, and she was certain of their identity.

They stopped dead in the forest and hid under potent smelling shrubs. "They can't scent us if we're here." she hissed to her partner. The two stayed in silence for a few moments when two figures came into view. Although it was still dark, the glowing seeds of the trees gave them just enough light to identify who the two were. "Come out now, Hyleana." The deep voice of Lorus commanded her. The second figure, a female, she could already recognize as Yanbera. "We know you're here, little one, and this general is commanding you and your scum lover to show your face." She sneered.

They stayed quiet, and Hyleana could feel Kazi shiver with, not fear, but utter rage. Their green eyes illuminated in the night and Hyleana watched carefully as they flickered around, keeping inventory of every noise and sight that showed signs of life. "Hyleana Starfall. You're making things worse for yourself if you don't come out." Silently, Hyleana found Kazi's hand and gently grasped her attention. Gently, she kissed Kazi goodbye. Staring at the night elf in horror, she watched as her love slid out from the shrubbery and into the cold night.

"Ah, there you are." The two blood elves focused their attention on her. "I figured you'd find me if you waited long enough. You're right, I'd only make it harder on myself." She started slowly. "Where's the draenei and your pet?" scoffed Yanbera. "They're not with me. We got split up." She lied; Haru, had rushed ahead of the couple and she was certain that the tiger was somewhere in closer to the marshlands by now, waiting for an owner whom might never return.

"The saber, surely." Yanbera began to creep towards the shrubs that Hyleana had just freed herself from. "But are you telling me that if I check those smelling bushes, I won't find a horned demon?" Hyleana barred her fangs at the insult, "She's more gorgeous than an ugly has-been such as you." She sneered back. "Ladies, no need to fight." Lorus had his eyes closed and held two fingers to his temple as though he were stressed about something.

"Check the shrubs." He commanded his sister, and before the night elf could make a move, Kazi jumped from the bushes, her always packed sword unsheathed and swung expertly at the blood elf. "Kazi!" Hyleana screamed. "Oh no, Hyleana, it is far too late to save her." Lorus unsheathed his sword. She had been right on her earlier assessment; Lorus was indeed much stronger than he had been on the island. And he knew that she was weaker than most night elves and no match without her saber. _Damn me for letting you know all my secrets... _She felt tears pool as she watched the only love she knew would never betray her fight for their lives. "Kazeleora!" she screamed out, hoping that although she was weak, she could give her lover the strength she needed to win this fight.

The two swung swords in the night, and all Hyleana could accurately pick up was the twirling of blonde and black hair and the sparks that flew from the blunt force of their steel. It all happened in only a matter of seconds, but Yanbera instantly stole the night elf's attention as they began to dance their own battle with swirling blows; the blood elf a strong and able fighter, knowing that Hyleana was not match in hand-to-hand. "Why are you doing this Lorus?" she yowled at the blood elf. "Because, you refused to come with me and now you'll be forced to watch your lover die. I am simply taking back what is mine." He hissed in a voice that was so foul no version of him before could have come close to his new embodiment of evil.

And then, there was a silence, and Hyleana knew the fight was over. Yanbera backed off as Hyleana stood in bewilderment. Something cracked and a soft sound of steel penetrating a body surrounded her. Her silver eyes widened in the night and she felt her heart sank. "Kazi!" she cried, turning around to face the scene. Lorus had been injured himself, but in the process he'd managed to win the battle and stabbed the draenei right in between her lower rib cages.

Rushing to her now, Hyleana bent down on the cold forest floor and held the beautiful amazon in her arms. "You won't be able to heal her. She will die." Lorus called. Hyleana tried to stop the blood flow, but no matter what she tried it would not stop and she knew it truly was far too late. "Kazi! Kazi, please don't die!" she cried. "I love you, please don't die!" she couldn't stop repeating it, but finally the draenei stopped her hands and pulled her close. "I love you too... Now please... Move... On... I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise..." Her white eyes were filled with sadness, but there was still a warm sense of love as they began to dim. "No, no, no... Kazi! Kazi! I love you, please don't die!" she cried into the stale night, wishing that her will and love alone could save her lover. But she knew in her heart that it was already over.

**Author's Note: Lorus kills Kazi in order to claim Hyleana as his own, which is obviously not going to work. **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

She did not know where she was, but she knew she wanted to go home. After Lorus had slain her beloved, Yanbera had knocked her out with the back of her hilt. When she awoke, she was in a cage, completely alone. With no saber nor weapons, she was completely useless. From the looks of it, she was in a crate, but it was dark and she couldn't tell where she was. There was a barred window on one side, but it was so dark that she could not see. "Hello?" her voice was hoarse from all her screaming the night before.

It was at that moment she remembered that Kazi was dead, and she was completely alone. Tears began to fall as she wept. "Please..." she sobbed. "Tell me there is someone out there..." And then, a voice came to her. "Ah, you're the little night elf they recently brought back." It was deep and gruff; she could tell the accent was definitely Orcish but she could have been wrong. "W-who's out there?" her usually strong demeanor had been shattered, and she was not confident that she could ever recover it.

"My name is Grothos." The calming voice came to her. "Grothos..." she tested his name. "Where are we?" the tears would not stop, but she knew that Kazi would not want her to give up on life. "We are on a cargo cart heading to the portal. From there I'd assume that we'll be going to Silvermoon City, the capital of the sin'dorei." Hyleana faced the floor, although she could not see it in the dark. "Why are we going there?" she panted, terrified of the answer. "I suppose you were recently captured... I am sorry to tell you your fate is a slave of the blood elves."

Hyleana's head whipped up; it made no sense. Why would Lorus force her to be a slave? And then she realized, she would be his slave and no one else's. "No..." she breathed. "I have to go back!" she cried. "We were just in the forest, I have to go back!" She was certain the orc had said something in an attempt to calm her down, but she was unable to hear him.

Her sobs were loud and she hoped Lorus could hear them. If he'd truly loved her, he would have never put her in this sort of pain. And after hours of grieving of Kazi's death, Hyleana finally blacked out from lack of energy. When she awoke, there was still no light in the ultimate cart. "Why do they keep us in darkness?" she asked. "To belittle us." Grothos replied gruffly. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to physically hold herself together. "It must have been grave." The orc said suddenly. She lifted her head and rested it against the wood and looked over. "What?"

"You don't have to talk about it, but when you are ready I shall be here." He answered. She suddenly realized that he was referring to her capture. Tears still fell down her face but she refused to say anymore for a while. "Why are we the only one's in here?" she finally asked. "I am the personal slave of Master Sunblade." He responded. "Lorus?" she asked. "Yes, but I'm sure you will come to find that he does not appreciate being called by his first name by a lower being."

"I know him differently." She chuckled darkly. "He's scum." She added bitterly when the surprised silence surrounded them both. The cart gave an abrupt stop and a dim light shined in. Although it was dim, the fact that it was light at all burned Hyleana's eyes. "Food for the slaves!" a young blood elf sneered as it threw bread at them through the bars and left without a word. The cart did not move for some time and Grothos stayed in silence. "You should eat." He said. "How could you tell?" she asked in curiosity. "Because, my ears have never led me astray." He laughed. "I know you must want to die right now, but perhaps if we work together, we can get out of here."

"Why do you risk telling me that? You know I could easily tell your master you plan to escape." Grothos shook his head with a smile she could only sense was there in the darkness. "You seem trustworthy. And you seem like you want to escape too." She scoffed at the blackness that surrounded her. "Escape where? Back to nothing?" There was another silence for another few moments before the orc decided to speak again. "Perhaps you lost something or someone of dear value, elf. But does that mean that there are not others waiting for you to come home?"

Hyleana thought for a moment and remembered her sister and her husband. And then she thought of her young niece who was growing at an alarming rate. She thought of Haru and her homeland and even, regrettably, her forceful and overbearing mother. "I suppose you're right..." she admitted. "Eat for them and save your strength for another day so that you may fight and go home to them." Grothos, she decided, had a soothing and wise voice. "You live as long as I do, yet you gain no knowledge." She told herself sarcastically and laughed at the years long behind her.

The door opened again and four blood elves met them in the dim light. "Sunblade has instructed us to allow you to relieve yourselves at this time. Chains will be barred. Slide your hands through the bars and don't try anything smart." Hyleana was reluctant but stuck her thin wrists through the wide bars. She looked up to find that Grothos's window was right in front of hers. She stared at the bulky brown orc and saw that he had soft, almost sparkling, brown eyes. She met his eyes with an even stare, but he simply shied away. When the two where outside, cuffed and tied, she noticed that he was much bigger than her and had more muscle packed on him then some orcs; yet he was slightly taller and almost lean. He had long black hair that splayed out over his back. She was certain that this creature would be ugly, as were his green brethren, but she could see now that he was rather well kept for an orc.

Again, she looked at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. Although, she was certain that he was glancing at her from under his heavy black locks as they parted ways. Once the two had returned to their cells, and back to total darkness, Hyleana thought of how kind his face had seemed. But she had also seen the scars on his face and was sure that if she could have looked into his eyes, there would be stories to tell.

"My name is Hyleana Starfall." She started. "And I was in love with Lorus Sunblade." There was a silence between the two as Hyleana began to unfold her tale from Azuremyst Isle up until now. "He killed her right in front of me and made me watch." She spat. "I am sorry to hear your tale of sorrow." Was all the orc could say. "I am sure that draenei would not want you mourning over her and wasting your life here. I am sure she'd want you to live again." Hyleana nodded. "Tell me, Grothos... If you are of the Horde then why are you a slave?"

"I am not of the Horde. I was once of the tribes, but that has not been in my people's blood for years now. Since the blood of Monoroth corrupted them, and since they went through the Dark Portal, they have long since abandoned the right to be true orcs. I come from the Outlands, but those who stayed here and stuck to traditional values have long raised me. However, I was captured and, because I am an orc who did not value the Horde, I was considered a traitor. For three years I have been Sunblade's slave, and for three years I have awaited a companion willing to help me escape." Hyleana found tears welling up again. "I will help you escape, Grothos. And once we're done here, we'll travel all over the Outlands together and I'll find a way to get you to meet my niece and sister."

"Planning a life with me?" the orc laughed. "No, planning a future for once in my forsaken life. If you've waited three years for me, you'll have to excuse me for dragging you about for a bit longer. I won't agree to help you until you do." She heard his hearty laugh rumble throughout the cart. "You have yourself a deal Hyleana Starfall."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Hyleana had lost count of time. She knew that her and Grothos could do nothing in their current situation and therefore they would be stuck going to Silvermoon City; from their position there they would devise a plan. It had been weeks of journeying to get from the portal to Eversong Woods, as they went by cart the whole way.

But Hyleana did not mind. She cried for Kazi at night, but when she thought it was day, she spoke to Grothos. The two shared tales of their families. "So what will become of your niece?" he asked her once. "Will she not outlive her mother?" Hyleana pondered for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure what happens to half-elven children. But from what my sister says, she's growing so fast. She's twelve now..."

"I truly hope you cherish your time with her. Life can end at any time for any of us. Our supposed lifespans mean nothing in this world." Hyleana thought deeply on his words and saw that she agreed with what he said. A day or so after their conversation, they had arrived at Silvermoon City. Once they heard the other carts beginning to unload, Hyleana became nervous. "Grothos, what will happen if we get separated?" The brown orc found himself smiling at her want to stay with him.

"I will find you, don't worry about it Hyleana. We have the same Master, we're bound to be together." Hyleana smiled at his reassurance and the doors opened up. They were in front of a large red estate the seemed to bleed sin'dorei in every sculpt of it's model. Hyleana found herself laughing darkly as she realized that she'd gotten everything she could have ever wished for. She was back with Lorus, just as she had dreamed the first year after their separation, only this was a demented version.

Hyleana took one last look at the orc before she was shuffled off and saw him look at her for the first time since their meeting. He smiled slightly and watched her go as she was dragged up the steps before them. Everything about the home was lavish and adorned the colors red and gold within every possible spot. She was led to an upstairs bathroom where a bitter female instructed her to bath. Once she was left alone, Hyleana noticed that clean clothes and a variety of soaps and perfumes had been laid out for her. Sighing, she knew she had to take care of herself. Not only was her family waiting for her to come home, but now her newfound friend was relying on her to help him escape.

The dress was long and silver, and most definitely not of sin'dorei fashion. The dress she wore now was outlined in white and she knew the style to be that of the kaldorei. She felt uncomfortable as to how they'd obtained such a traditional robe, but she exited the bathroom. Guards awaited her and scoffed at her still drying teal hair, marking her as a pitiful sight. "Follow us." Was all they said and she followed their commands without complaint.

She arrived in an office that mimicked the rest of the house, however it was filled to the brim with books and scrolls that were crawling with fel magic, or so she suspected. Lorus sat in a large red chair and greeted the night elf, his golden hair pulled to the side in a ponytail. "Hyleana, it is more than lovely to see you again." The elf smiled. "I wish I could say the same thing about you. What happened to needing to part ways?" she asked hesitantly. "Times change, and twelve years is far too long."

She flickered her eyes to the side bitterly and refused to his gaze. "Come now, you're not honestly still upset about that draenei, are you?" he asked. Biting her lip and holding back tears, she could not believe what she was hearing. Even if fate had not allowed she and Kazi had to be been lovers, he knew they were friends and that should have been enough to tell him how she felt about the situation. "You brought me here as a slave. Why?" she ignored his previous accusations.

"Is it not obvious?" he let his broad jaw relax against his hand. "It's very simple, actually. As a slave, you can be here with me without a threat. There's no reason for the Alliance to mark you as a traitor and there's no reason for my people to kick you out like the scum your people are."

"I regret sparing your life all those years ago." Hyleana hissed and bared her fangs to him, her eyes ablaze in a metal rage. "And I regret letting you leave with that woman. Yet here we are." He stood up and walked towards the smaller elf, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I shall not use heavy force, however you must understand that you are now my property so you will still have to do my bidding every now and then." Her eyes bared up at him like silver daggers. "Do not give me that look, love." He leaned his face in close to hers. At one time, and under different circumstances, Hyleana may have found the gesture to be romantic if not charming. Now he filled her nose with disgust.

"I shall never be any man's property." The night elf sneered in Darnassian. "And yet, here you are." He said again, only this time he matched her language. For the rest of the meeting, Lorus simply told her of her basic rights and what she was prohibited from doing. Essentially, she would not be bound such as the other slaves. She could freely roam the house, but only the house. She had her own room, however he added that it was only temporarily as he would expect her to soon share his bed as though they were still lovers; the thought made her gag. She was not allowed to leave nor converse with anyone other than him and potentially Yanbera under specific circumstances. And, above all, she must refer to him as her master.

Hyleana understood the rules and was shown to her room. _I shall not be bound for long._ She promised herself. While she was prohibited from speaking to anyone else, including fellow slaves, she knew that she could still find a way to free Grothos. Now all she needed to do was find the brown orc. _But there has to be a catch... There is no way I'm simply free to roam the house... _She suspected that perhaps there was a spell or even mere eyes that were strewn about the house to make it impossible for her to properly send word to her friend.

Hyleana figured that in the end the only thing she could do was devise a plan on her own and then find Grothos. His part would have to be told during the escape, but she knew no other way. It would be heavily impromptu and clumsy at best, but if she could work it well enough, perhaps they could escape with their lives. From there, she hoped the Eversong Woods was at least something like her home. She could help her friend escape and the two would be on their way to freedom.

Bitterly eating dinner in her room on the first night of her stay, she scoped the items in her area that she could use to escape. A knock came to the door and as it opened, she was pleasantly surprised. "My lady," Grothos stood in the door, his face looking exhausted, "The master is calling for you." Snorting, she smiled at him. "What could that pig want from me at a time like this? I'm eating."

Sighing, Grothos shook his head, "My lady, I advise you go now. I do not wish to see you get hurt." He would not meet her eyes again, so she walked over and raised his head. "I'll go if you promise to start looking me in the eyes, friend." She smiled. She was sure that they were being watched and although she was not allowed to speak to anyone, she hoped Grothos would not get in trouble. He gave her a smile and she left the food on her tray to go find Lorus.

"So you speak to your fellow slaves already?" asked Lorus as she arrived in his office. "We spoke on the way here. I simply told him how I feel." She kept her voice defiant and even; at least now it had been confirmed that she was being watched. "That's too bad for him. He's rather loyal, but I'm afraid I will have to punish him." Lorus, whom was standing beside a large bookshelf, dusted off a volume as though his sentence was commonplace.

Hyleana felt something throb in her heart; she did not want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt, not ever again. "And why not just punish me?" she asked. "Because I know you. Perhaps you have forgotten that over the years, but I do remember every bit about you. And I know that you suffer more through others than you do yourself. It is with that fact alone that I am confident his suffering will be enough for you." Hyleana did not allow tears to even form in her eyes as she stared at the sin'dorei before her. "You are cruel." She hissed. "But you will not see weakness befall me."

Sighing, he put the literature down and turned to face her. "Is that so?" he asked. His green eye birthed boredom and his voice seeped with exhaustion as though their transaction was too great an effort for him. "I grow tired of these games, Hyleana. You must learn to submit to your place. How else may we move forward?" She bared fangs at him, her eyes alight with life and fight. "Move forward? No, my dear. This is not moving anywhere. And I refuse to move with the likes of you!"

"You're stubborn as always; I figured as much. But you should know your place." She scoped the room, wishing there was some sort of object to stab him with. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." The small but strong Yanbera walked in, her head held high with a massive amount of pride. Hyleana had the urge to kill this woman the most; She'd been the one to reveal her lover's hideaway, and had she just been quiet perhaps Kazi would have still been alive.

"I come to speak to my brother in private." She looked at Hyleana out of the corner of her eye with an annoyed look. Or, Hyleana looked closer, was it something else. "My dear night elf." She walked towards her and placed her hands in Hyleana's. "Did you not hear me or are your people so primitive you can't even understand that?" Her voice sounded as though it had been dipped in honey and mockery.

Hyleana tried not to widen her eyes or look awkward as she stared at Lorus and exited the room in a swift motion. Opening her tightened grip, she stared at the paper Yanbera had shoved in her hands discretely. On it, in Thalassian, it wrote:

_I will come to your room tonight. Be prepared to leave. _

Was her chance to escape going to come through the enemy's aid? And should she even consider accepting it? _Grothos is going to be punished soon... If we don't get out of here tonight, we could be in serious danger... _She made sure to hide the paper and hoped that Lorus had been too occupied to see her interaction with his sister as she turned to leave back to her room.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

The door opened without warning, and Hyleana sat ready on her bed. "I've disabled his spell warnings and alarms. Of course, he's sleeping right now so he won't notice." It was late in the night and Hyleana had begun to wonder if the small blood elf had been lying. "Come. If you want to escape, now's your chance." Her brows furrowed in confusion as she asked, "Why help me?"

Yanbera sighed and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. "My brother has grown power hungry in recent years. If you recall correctly, I wanted him back so that I may use him for my own gain of power and control. Now he is beginning to deter from the path I chose and run loose. He has been exiling me from the decisions I normally make and now my power over this world is draining. I cannot forgive him. What better way to punish him then by setting his favorite slave free?"

Hyleana would not forgive this woman for what she'd done, but at the very least she could condone her want for revenge so long as it meant an efficient escape. "I made a promise. Perhaps you would be interested?" Hyleana explained that she still needed to free the orc known as Grothos. "Ah... My brother's main slave..." Smiling evilly, she noted, "That would make his anger grow. "

"But why not just kill us? You seem to have no problem doing that." She sneered. "Because if you were dead he'd simply be upset for a few days and then move on, knowing that there is no longer a chase. But if you were alive and kicking, he'd want to follow you. Believe me, he's grown to hate the taste of loss. It's more torturous in the long run. And with him busy, I can go back to manning our armies." She smiled, her white teeth glowing in the candle's light. "Believe me, if killing you were the better option, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"So you mean to set me free to a life of running?"

"Is that better than living a life in chains?"

Hyleana thought about what the small woman had just said and felt that her grim answer would have been: _to not live at all_. But she couldn't bring herself to say it so long as Grothos was still in need of her. _I cannot condemn another soul to their torture..._ She admitted to herself. Nodding to her unlikely companion, Yanbera lead the way out of the room.

Hyleana could now make out just how many guards Lorus had strewn about his property; all of them slept quietly on the ground, courtesy of Yanbera. They rushed down the long curving staircase until they reached the bottom. Instead of heading for the exit, Yanbera lead Hyleana out towards the back of the home. "The orc is back here." She hissed as though she spoke in serpent.

The yard in the back was merely an expanse of land that silently shaped into the woodlands surrounding Silvermoon City. There were small shacks and other establishments for animals. One, which looked like a stable for horses or other mounts, was clearly out of shape. Hyleana's eyes widened in a disgusting fear as she worried what she might find when Yanbera lead the night elf up to it.

Pushing open the door in a silent fashion, the sin'dorei revealed Grothos lying in the sodding ground, steal chains keeping his hands bound behind his back. "Grothos!" she hissed as she hurried to him. The blood elf whispered a few words and the chains came undone. Picking up his head from out of the ground, Hyleana feared that he'd drowned in the mud. Covered in dirt and blood, his brown eyes looked up at her. "This is my fault..." Hyleana tried to push back tears. "It is fine. Are we leaving?" his voice was hoarse, but hopeful. In reality, he knew that he'd be punished for talking to her, but he did not regret doing so. Now he was happy that she was the first thing his eyes had seen after such a brutal assault.

"We must leave now!" Yanbera was growing impatient. "What is she doing here?" his eyes were mistrusting as he realized the third presence. "Helping us escape! Can you walk?" Picking himself up, he leaned on Hyleana for little support. "Follow me into the backwoods." The blonde commanded. Grothos had a bad limp, but was surprised that Hyleana was strong enough to provide him such stable support. "You're a warrior?" he asked her. "Hunter." She smiled at him.

"I have found you a mount that you may use to leave this place. So that this is not a complete waste of time, I advise that you find a place to hide for some time. A month or so should do. He can't be gone for long. It works well for me that his mind will be elsewhere when he comes back." She explained, ignoring their small chat. "After that, do as you wish. But I would stay away from sin'dorei establishments."

As they came deep into the woods, Hyleana spotted two hawkstriders. The birds were certainly something to be admired, what with their glossy bright red and purple feathers, but clearly not worth much to Yanbera. "They are swift and should take you through the mountains." She said as Hyleana helped Grothos onto his mount, tying it to her own so he would not have to lead his own. She turned to Yanbera as she climbed up onto her own bird. "Do not mistake this for friendship." The smaller elf growled.

"I do not. I am sure you understand why I do not thank you." Hyleana kept and even glare. Snorting, she scoffed with a smirk, "Of course. This is mutual. Now get out of here." She hissed as she turned to slip into the shadows and await her brother's wrath. Hyleana took the reigns and began to rush off into the forest and close to the mountainside. The night was calm and dangerous, but she felt a more pressing feeling in her heart.

_I should have killed her and Lorus..._ She was enraged by her own pathetic abilities. A comforting voice came to her, "You were wise to take her offer. You could have died otherwise." Grothos was still very tired and terribly injured, but Hyleana was confident that she could treat him once they got to safety. "I want to die." She admitted. "But your life was on the line."

"That is not what the woman would have wanted, nor is it what I want to see of a friend." He hated her saying those things. "Was she a kind woman?" he said after a moment with no response.

"More than kind... She loved me with a heart bigger than anyone..." Hyleana had not spoken of Kazi even after her capture, only of what had happened to her. "Than would she approve of vengeance that only resulted in your death?" he asked again. Tears kissed her cheeks and tumbled down her face gently as she looked ahead. Kazi would have killed her before Hyleana did herself. "No..." she hushed. "Then live on. Live a life you know she'd be proud of."

"But now I am alone... I feel such shame for being caught and I feel as though I no longer am able to journey alone after being with her for so long." She admitted feebly. "What of your sister and her family?" Grothos asked as the golden trees flew past them, the birds keeping an even pace. Shaking her head, she slightly agreed. "I suppose you are right... She would not want me gone and neither would little Yleleae... Even her husband is fond of me." She laughed. "But I cannot just sit in Stormwind for the rest of my days. And I suppose I've been with companions for so long that I've forgotten what it's like to be alone.

"What's worse is that it was never my intention. All of this... It was not what I wanted. I wanted nothing more than to live a peaceful life in a mutual state on a small island with no interruptions. Even if Lorus had never shown up or I had killed him on sight... She would still have come to my aid and our story would have still continued. Now things have gone to such lengths and I am not sure what to do with myself completely."

Grothos nodded and silently listened. "It may not have been your will, and perhaps you have regrets. But surely something good shall come your way." He wanted to offer his assistance to her travels, but felt that it would not be entirely appropriate. And what if she were to reject him? Grothos was already shy of the beautiful creature, he did not think he could handle her negation of his presence, though he knew it likely. Instead, he hoped that what little advice he could offer would help guide her to a better direction.

"Perhaps I should take you to the Earthen Ring. It is where I am from." He smiled. "What?" she turned in her seat to look at him. "I was going to go to Stormwind..." Tilting his head to the side, he supposed, "That would be safe, but also an obvious place to look. Lorus cannot get in there, so your family would be fine, however I fear that it will only cause that blood elf trouble. As wretched as she is, I suppose we should find a mutual area where we will both be safe."

"But that is all the way on the other side of the portal! It took a week's journey just to get here..." Hyleana could already feel a tired ache in her bones if they were to take such a long journey. "Perhaps if we take this route. But if we fly, it would only be a mere three days or so, if we do not stop... Perhaps distance is the best thing we can offer ourselves right now."

"But if it's mutual territory, won't he have more of a claim to take us again?" Hyleana asked with suspicion of the Earthen Rings' alliance. Shaking his long black hair as it draped over his eyes, he noted, "Had my brethren known I was captured, they would have stopped Sunblade with all their might. We shall be safe so long as we stay in their camp's graces."

"I suppose I have no choice then." Hyleana looked out into the blood red forest. "To Nagrand we go."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Grothos, Hyleana decided, was a good cook. While the two did not have any equipment, the orc had managed to sharpen a branch with a stone and kill a near by untainted bear. He'd asked her, in a shy manner, to collect edible herbs which he'd then used to season the meat properly. The other herbs she'd collected were for ointments to tend to his wounds.

She'd used some of her healing ability, but with the severity of his wounds, he'd still needed proper medical attention. It came to her surprise that the orc was not only a good cook but also an astounding healer. "Perhaps my size gives off the impression that I am only good for war, but in reality, I'm actually only very good at healing." He'd laughed. "I was training to be a shaman, but I had not gotten very far." Hyleana smiled as she helped him apply the simplistic medicine to his wounds. "I guess I should know better. I used to be so open minded, and here I am stereotyping."

They had made it to the Eastern Plaguelands by nightfall but had decided that leaving the mountain range was too risky. "There are both Alliance and Horde areas. While you're from the Earthen Ring, I feel as thought explaining out situation would only draw attention. Not to mention, Lorus has already found out and will be sending troops to scour the area." Hyleana thought through their plans accordingly. "While we were able to get through this rough terrain, he will surely expect us to take refuge in a nearby camp, what with my condition." Grothos nodded.

The two had finished dressing his wounds and were now staring into the fire. "I want to feel safe." The night elf admitted suddenly. He turned to stare at her, but her face was still transfixed at the flames that reached up to lick the stars. He smiled sadly and nodded. "I am just happy you did not stay there long enough to get the treatment I got. Or worse. I hate to think of what that disgusting blood elf was planning to use you for." he grimaced.

He'd found himself growing furious at the thought of Hyleana being a slave to sin'dorei filth such as Lorus. He tried to keep his body from shaking with rage, but he knew that she was safe now, and that was all that mattered. Hyleana, on the other hand, felt entirely selfish and guilty. "You were there longer than I. It should be you who's pitied." She sighed. "They did not kill my lover in front of me." He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she tried to push them back. "I don't like living without her. I don't like being this weak either..." She looked up at the stars and wondered if Kazi could see her. "We were together for so long... And now she's gone... How does a life just disappear? How does all that time just amount to this?" she choked as the stars twinkled on, unaware of the pain she felt. "Hyleana, it is fine to cry. This is no weakness."

He was shy and nervous of her rejection, but he gently pulled her into him and wrapped his other arm around her. She did not speak, but she wept into his chest until her body could no longer muster the energy to stay away. Grothos kicked some dirt over the fire to put it out and laid down, taking the night elf with him. Rubbing the back of her head as she snuffled silently in her sleep, he felt a furious rage burn in his heart as though he'd drank the demon's blood that ran through the rest of his kind.

It enraged him to see a gracious creature mourn and suffer the loss of love. He wanted to see this creature blossom as she should, and happily as she went. Sighing, he decided that perhaps he wanted to make her happy, if he could. She was smaller than any night elf he'd ever seen before, and he imagined that her life up to now must have been difficult even when she was among her kind. Perhaps, he pondered, this woman named Kazi had had to protect her often even.

But that was not his job, nor anyone else's. He'd never seen Hyleana draw a bow nor fight. He could tell that she was strong and in her own right; she did not need him to protect her. But perhaps, he continued to compromise, she could use his aid at some point. The smaller creature did not seem very good at creating medicines, although she knew what plants were usable. He may not have been very good in terms of combat, but he did want to help her at the least. Even now, as she laid slightly on him, he didn't seem to mind. She was welcome to him anytime, and he liked that fact.

Later in the night, he awoke to something. It was a ringing sound in the night; as beautiful as a bell. He'd sworn that he'd heard it somewhere before, but as he opened his eyes, he sat slightly and looked ahead of him. Hyleana had moved from his side and was now sitting up atop one of the hills that made up the mountain range. She was singing, just ever so loudly for him to hear. Although it was night and she was turned to the moon, he could see tears stream down her pale cheeks as her silver eyes looked back at her moon. The Darnassian lyrics were sad and Grothos could feel just how ancient the song was; an elven lament of some sort. As sad as it was, he could not help but find its words beautiful and Hyleana's voice even more so, and he found himself falling asleep to it.

The next morning, Hyleana woke up later than Grothos. Ruffling her hair, she fixed her dress and looked for the orc; had he left without her? "Ah Hyleana, you've awoken. The skies are dark today, we should try to exit these lands soon." Turning around, she spotted him preparing the mount. Her legs ached at the thought of riding for a whole day, as the dress was thin and not meant for such travel. But she knew she had no other choice. "I am tired." She said in a voice hoarse from her previous crying. "We'll find shelter in a camp tonight; there is no other choice." The orc nodded, hating to make the creature wear herself out more.

They had left the hawkstrider outside of the town and allowed it to run free. "We only make ourselves look worse by having it..." Hyleana watched the bird run off, feeling sorry that she could not release it in it's proper home. As she walked, her inner thighs screamed in pain from the sever chaffing she'd experienced on the mount with only her dress on. "Allow me to carry you." Grothos offered, but she swiftly refused. He could have easily picked up the elf, but felt as though she'd have his head on a stick before she'd ever allow an orc to carry her.

The two had arrived at a camp with no issue and explained that they were both constituents of the Alliance and the Earthen Ring seeking shelter. Of course, the humans running the operation had been suspicious what with the couple's choice in dress. On man had the courage to ask, but Hyleana explained that they'd been attacked by a horde of masked rogues in the Eastern Plaguelads. "We were lucky to take one of their mounts and make our way here." She lied without batting an eyelash.

Entering the inn, she sighed and sat on her bed. Grothos sat facing her on his own. "This is troublesome for us if Sunblade manages to send a party this way. This is Alliance territory, but I fear we'd find ourselves in more luck if we left right away." Hyleana felt the urge to rush home as fast as she could. "They have gryphons. We'd be able to leave for the Blasted Lands as soon as possible." Grothos reasoned, hoping he could settle her uneasy heart. "But with what money?"

Groaning, she fell on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "I want to see my sister again. I want to go home. I want to stay on the land she's on. I want my love back." She did not cry nor tear as she said these things, but she did feel as though she were a small child asking for too much. "Perhaps going to the Earthen Ring would not be a good idea." Her ears perked up at Grothos's words as she sat back up to face him.

The orc did not have the heart to take the night elf away from her family, the only thing she was holding on to at the moment. He knew that if they were to make it anywhere on their own, she'd have to want to. "I feel it's best for you to be with your family at this time." He sighed, hoping that his sincerity reached her heart by some means. "But what about you? You could go to Stormwind too, seeing as you're neutral." She smiled.

"I simply could not impose on your life any further." He wanted to make her happy, of course, but was unsure that she wanted him too. "Yanbera said that it would be dangerous for us to split up. So no, I shall not leave your side. But perhaps going to Nagrand will not be the wisest of moves at the moment. If we were to head to Stormwind, not only could I inform my sister of our recent events, but we'd also be much safer." Hyleana smiled. She'd enjoyed the orc's company and feared that if she left him now, she'd regret the decision; the chances of him being caught again were too high and she did not feel right letting him leave on his own.

It was all a matter of time and movement from there. Without money, the two feared that they may not be able to hitch a ride to Stormwind, but Grothos haggled about his position in the Earthen Ring and that it was urgent they arrive in the city promptly. And after a careful and long ride, the two had arrived at Stormwind within only a night or so. "It is certainly something to ride a gryphon." Hyleana laughed, as she'd never experienced one before. "And certainly faster." Grothos agreed as they stared out at the scene before them.

Of course, Grothos had trouble entering the city at first, but the duo seemed so incompatible that they had no choice but to allow them through. And of course, the people of Stormwind did not take kindly to a large orc. Although, his skin tone seemed to calm them slightly as their faces recognized he may not be Horde. "I have never been here. I think I like it." The orc smiled as a few more jaws dropped in the distance. "You certainly make heads turn." Hyleana noted, hoping that the larger creature would not be offended.

"Ah, but perhaps these people are looking at you!" he smiled, trying to take away an uneasy feeling in his chest. Certainly, he tried to radiate confidence as well as kindness in hopes that the people of Stormwind would not mistake him as a threat, but he was honest about his feelings towards the city; it was truly a site to be marveled at. It was hard to imagine the blue jewel being overrun by orcs, as it had once been. "Why me? Night elves also reside here. Orcs do not."

Grothos looked away and did not give her a response. She took note of the flushed appearance that rose in his face and continued to lead him towards the Mage's District. Naedriel had since moved to the area between the Mage's District and the place deemed the Valley of Heroes so to be closer to where her husband would be working. Along with that, Yleleae enjoyed to be out with nature and close to the woodlands. The cottage was small, but the quarters were nice, as Hyleana would remember it from her last visit. As they closed in, a small cry came from out of the home. "Auntie!" A small child rushed out of her home and locked her sights on Hyleana, ignoring the large mass of Grothos behind her.

"Auntie, momma said you haven't sent letters lately." Yleleae had long black hair, courtesy of her father, with hints of purple streaks given to her from her mother. Her ears were smaller, yet still held their elven heritage, and her eyes were an amber color, mixed of both her parents, that was exaggerated slightly from the very faint purple hue of her skin.

"Where is your momma?" Hyleana found it odd to call a mother such a name, as she'd never referred to her bitter mother in such a manner. Yet, she was aware that her niece lived in Stormwind where the human's culture was bound to influence her much more than her elven heritage. "She's in the garden!" the child cried happily. "Daddy's at work though, he said he'll be home much later!" The child paused for a moment and looked around, not taking much notice of Grothos, but rather searching for someone. "Auntie? Where's auntie Kazi?" she asked in a confused voice. Hyleana felt her heart shatter as she looked at the child.

"Hyleana?" A call came from behind the house; Hyleana looked up and saw her sister's amber eyes as they shown brightly as they gawked at the sister she'd not heard from in months. "Naedriel!" she called with a smile. Tears formed at her eyes from happiness and relief; after everything that had happened, she was happy to finally be home with her family and hoped that these were the last tears she would have to shed, happily or not.

After a long explaination inside her sister's home, Hyleana and Naedriel had both found themselves in tears at the cruelty and pain that had befallen their blood. "She was a beautiful woman, and I know how much you loved her." Naedriel said in between sniffles, Lea sitting on her lap with a confused look, although there were tears in her eyes as it registered her aunt would not be coming home. "And as for you, Grothos." Her lips curved uncomfortably around his Orcish name. "You're welcome to stead here. You helped my sister and I cannot thank you enough."

"I wish it were not under such circumstances that we meet, my friend. I also wish not to impose on your family anymore than I must." He sighed awkwardly. The home was large enough for him, and yet he felt too confined within it's walls; he'd prefer a tent. "It's fine. My husband will understand." She smiled. "And I like you!" Lea cried from her mother's lap with a large smile on her face, her tears still very real as she tried to awaken herself from the pain of loss. Hyleana found herself laughing and tussling her niece's soft hair. "He is a very nice man, isn't he?"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lea had decided to call Grothos her uncle almost instantaneously. Hyleana had blushed violently, but recognized that they didn't need to be lovers for him to be in such a position. "It's fine." He'd laughed after the first time she'd called him it. "I am honored." He'd smiled. Grothos and Hyleana had decided to stay hidden within Stormwind's walls for a month so that they may recover properly.

For the most part, Grothos had a difficult time moving around the city so Hyleana picked up his slack. He, however, realized some new articles about his night elf friend. Hyleana, in a home environment, was extraordinarily messy, and he found it funny that such a small creature could leave her bedroom in such a state. "She always does this!" Naedriel cried one day as she was folding the discarded clothing on the floor. "Every she comes home or I visit, she leaves a mess for me to clean up! Even when I lived with her! She won't do it with anyone else!"

Laughing, Grothos also recognized that the night elf loved her niece more than anything in the world. "She'd be communally raised if she were full night elf. But our family is a little different. My mother is not exactly warm, so I took care of Naedriel a little more than anyone else. To me, it was a way of holding on to something. Now, after seeing the way other's live, I realize it was just the need for family. I wanted nothing more for Lea to have that." She's explained as the two watched the child run after a stray cat in the garden.

While Grothos had a wish for his people to return to their peaceful state, this did not necessarily mean that he wanted them to be entirely traditional. He wanted nothing more than to see his race correspond with others, just as they used to on Draenor. Along with that, he could not help but feel a sense of pure happiness whenever he stayed at Hyleana's side. He had no reservations when he admitted to himself that he had feelings for her.

That, however, would not be something reciprocated on her end; this he knew. The night elf had only lost her love around two months ago and he was certain of her ever mourning; sometimes during the night, he would hear Hyleana singing her lament to the moon, her sister occasionally accompanying her. He understood full well that she may never choose to love again, and even if she did it would most likely not be an orc. He also knew that the longer he stayed, the more attached he grew; not only to her, but the family as well. Grothos was bland with himself and did not feel like convincing himself out of his feelings, but he also did not feel like staying only to get emotionally wounded. It was with this decision that he decided to leave.

"It has been about a month and I have been away from the Earthen Ring in Nagrand for more than two years now. A month with your family after being a slave for so long makes my heart feel more at ease of this world. I can never repay you for your kindness." He said to Naedriel, her husband, and Hyleana on the eve of his leave. "You really don't have to rush off tomorrow! You are welcome to stay at any time!" Mace laughed and placed a large hand on the orc's much larger shoulder. Over the past month, the two had become good drinking buddies, although Mace was not as good about holding his ale.

"I appreciate it much friend, and perhaps in time I shall return to visit if my ancestors watch over me with fortune. But for now, this is how it must be. They do not even know I am alive, and it worries me that I was not able to get back to them sooner." The couple nodded and decided to leave Hyleana and him alone to say their goodbyes and try to break the news to Lea as gently as possible.

She had to admit, she felt slightly uncomfortable at the fact that Grothos was leaving. Though they'd only been friends for two months, she felt as though she knew the orc from top to bottom. Not to mention all the things he knew of her. To know that someone so close was going to leave her world completely bothered her to high extent.

"I should go get ready." Grothos would not meet her eyes just as he wouldn't when they first met. "Why do you look away?" she asked, almost certain of his answer. "Because I can see the face you are making and it bothers me. I do not want to remember you that way." He half lied; she looked slightly angered and upset to a specific degree. Watching his tusked face carefully, she considered what she might do in this situation. "But you leave so soon..." was all she could manage. She felt as though if he left, her future would surely go with him. But what future?

Hyleana realized for the first time since her return that with Kazi gone, she did not know what she planned to do. And then she remembered the promise she'd made with the orc when the sin'dorei had first captured her. "We said we'd travel together, did we not?" She finally managed. Smiling, Grothos also remembered Hyleana's vows. "So you could finally plan something in your life for once. I thought you'd forgotten all about that." Meeting her gaze, he saw that she was now smiling. "There are no exceptions, orc! I am going with you to Nagrand." Hyleana smiled radiantly.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Nagrand was a long ways away, and Hyleana had left with the image of Lea crying and her mother's worried face burned in her mind the whole travel. But once they'd made it to Nagrand, things seemed to get better. The two had traveled by hippogryph to get there; they stopped in the Zangamarsh to find Haru, who'd been taken in by local draenei. Now they were in one of the most interesting places Hyleana had ever seen. "Just up over this small mountain is where we'll find the Earthen Ring's meeting area, where I work." The orc called over to his friend.

Hyleana, who'd been half awake, merely nodded as her mount followed his in suit. Her eyes did, however, widen as she saw the various waterfalls and gorgeous land that laid out before them. She gawked as they landed and could hardly find words for Nagrand's beauty as she got off the hippogryph. "Amazing, is it not?" Grothos asked as he noticed her starry-eyed expression. "More than amazing..." She hushed.

Haru practically slipped off the large mount and seemed to howl in mention of his motion sickness. Grothos pet the large cat in comfort and turned to watch the night elf timidly explore her new surroundings. He was tired and knew that soon enough members from the Earthen Ring would come to scout out who'd landed. At this point, he felt it best to simply wait and rest. Still petting the large creature, he sat down and continued to watch Hyleana fondly.

She'd followed him here, and without him even suggesting she do so. That fact alone made him more than elated, but he had to wonder why she hadn't let him go. His wishful thinking was greedy, he knew, but he couldn't help but to imagine what would happen between the two of them now. Would she want to stay in Nagrand with him? He had no intention of leaving the Earthen Ring now that he'd come home.

But Hyleana herself did not know what she was truly doing here now. She walked over to her companion and sat down beside him. "Grothos... The place you come from is simply exquisite." She pushed her long strands of hair out of her face and brushed them back to stare up at the planets in the sky. "I appreciate your admiration. But this land is only part of this world. The Outlands has been cursed for as long as I can remember. Nagrand is home, but it resides in a place that needs the Earthen Ring's help; my help." His small brown eyes stared off into the stars.

Hyleana watched him carefully and nodded in understanding. "I think you will make your people proud one day. I know that I am honored to call you friend." She smiled. He turned to her, his black hair draping down to his chest, and smiled around his tusks. "Your friendship means much to me Hyleana..." A moment of silence was shared before a call came to them.

"My brethren." Grothos grunted as he got up to call back to them. Two orcs came out and stared at Grothos as though he were a ghost; she realized that's probably what they thought. The three spoke in Orcish, leaving her to feel slightly left out, but she watched their gestures to carefully try to understand what was going on. After a few moments of speculation, the two orcs pummeled Grothos with a large dog-pile type hug. Laughing loudly, Grothos looked up and over to Hyleana, who was smiling warmly at the three.

"Hyleana... I never mentioned to you that I have two brothers. Blood related ones, that is. This is Kagus and Bodthas, my mother's other sons." He smiled. Hyleana felt rushed suddenly, and tried to look more presentable; she'd never really met another's family besides Lorus. The other two orcs looked up to notice the night elf for the first time. Almost at once, the two were on their feet and looking at her with suspicious eyes.

She watched them carefully, though she knew she was safe so long as Grothos was there to explain their position. They could have been twins, both of them shorter than their brother with bald heads, save for the long braids. The difference was the one had a large scar diagonally across his face that seemed to reason his loosing of half his left tusk. In Orcish, Grothos explained whom Hyleana was. The twins shared a strange look, but nodded after a while. "They do not speak another language, so I'll have to translate for you." Grothos reasoned their silence.

Bodthas, the one with the scar, laughed suddenly and said something to his twin. While Hyleana was not sure what it could have been, she was certain it had been embarrassing for Grothos as his face turned a darker shade and the other brother began to laugh in unison. "What did they say?" she smirked slightly. Grothos barked something in his rough accent and shook his head. "It matters not what these foolish children say." The two calmed down and moved towards the hippogryphs and smiled. Kagus said something directed toward Hyleana and Grothos translated, "He said they'll take the mounts. Follow us."

She found it funny that Grothos had not said anything about his brothers prior to, especially after meeting Hyleana's only sister. But she wondered if there was, perhaps, a reason? She began to worry that perhaps Grothos was more distant to her than she realized. Haru nudged her hand with his head and purred loudly. She smiled at the creature and decided that it didn't matter at the moment; right now she was doing better for herself.

As they made it to the Earthen Ring's small camp, Hyleana watched the happenings of Grothos being presented back to his home. Tears were shed and Orcish, perhaps prayers, were cried as his family welcomed him home. Hyleana, despite being a night elf, was the last thing anyone took notice. She was grateful, of course, but still wished that she could be of more use in the moment. Standing there awkwardly wasn't something she was accustomed to. After a few moments of waiting around, Grothos came back to her and welcomed her into the camp. "We'll be staying here with the others, I suppose." He'd shaken his head. "If you'll have me!" she laughed.

"Of course, of course!" he bellowed with her, both relieved of their journey and ready to start anew. But Hyleana felt as though something, and she was not sure what, was going to happen and soon.


	26. Chapter 26

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh man, it feels like I haven't been on here in forever... Sorry everyone. I just need to remember to post! D: I may one day go back and rewrite this story, because knowing younger me it's probably all over the place, but I hope you all still find it at least a little enjoyable. If any of you would like to see my actual professional writing, I still do a podcast series called Bosh &amp; Brave! You should check it out if you like adventure stories! And I also run a WoW theory blog I just started which is an analysis of the lore. Look up Crafting Theory. **

**Take care guys I hope you're all doing well and I appreciate your support! **

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

"Ryney Fizzlepop?" Hyleana asked. The goblin's name seemed so strange, foreign and ridiculous to her. "According to the men, he's been a great help in inventions, and we need that here in the Outlands." Grothos grunted in approval. "But why would a goblin be helping the Earthen Ring?" She could only imagine that it would be a Horde affiliation, or if anything that it had to do with money.

"That is what I would like to find out myself. Which is why I'm sending you." Grothos smiled as he offered her a gryphon. "You're not going?" she asked. "No. When I was captured, I had not yet met this Fizzlepop. And while his inventions may have been of use to my people, I feel a bit unnerved at _why_ he helps us. From what my brethren have said, he has no interest in money from them. Supposedly he makes enough from some other profit."

"What goblin has _enough_ money?" Hyleana chuckled. "That alone is just asking for trouble." Grothos nodded his large head and added, "It's not just that. I want to know what that other profit might be. If the Earthen Ring is being utilized for his benefit, or even that of the Horde, I want to know." Since their return, Grothos had been adamant about helping his people. However, it still didn't answer Hyleana's question. "But why are you not going?" she asked again.

"If he sees an orc coming, he'll be prepared for either the Horde or the Earthen Ring. He could easily play off as either. But a night elf would mean Alliance. A completely different attitude. Go to him and figure out what's going on in raw form." Brushing a lock of teal hair behind her ear, she narrowed her silver eyes in focus. "I can do that." Kicking the gryphon in the side, she took flight and hovered slightly over Grothos for a few moments, Haru crying in protest as he slung over the hide.

"And Hyleana." Grothos called from below. "Come back safely." His face grew tiresome as he felt he'd given her a task he'd regret. "Of course I will." She shrugged and headed for the area he'd designated.

Fizzlepop was somewhere out in the plains in a small hut, so after a few hours of travel, she'd seen it almost at once. Landing, she roped the gryphon and sat down to analyze the situation. The sun was going down, which meant that communications might be made. If she went in now, she may ruin the chance. However, she countered, if she introduced herself now it may cause more of a commotion to observe.

Haru at her side, the two neared the hut. "Excuse me!" she called out in an authoritative voice, hoping that speaking common alone would be enough to attract the goblin's attention. She could have sworn, however, that she heard two voices from within the hut. After a few moments of silence, Hyleana prompted yet again. "Is there anyone home? I'd like to conduct business."

Another beat of silence and a small goblin exited the tent. "What business would a night elf have during this time of day?" She'd known it; it had been the wrong time of day to conduct business, for her kind at least. Quickly coming up with an excuse, she shook her head and laughed. "I'm a night elf and night is arriving soon. I just took an early start to my day."

The goblin had a bright shade of green engulfing his skin and long black hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail. His greedy yellow eyes stared at her for a moment or two. "I guess my next question for ya, then, would be why does some snobby night elf wanna conduct business with a goblin?" This was a rare chance, but she decided to take it. "I'm only a business dealer, nothing more. And a mutual of mine suggested that you might be able to help me." The goblin's yellow eyes were defensive and suspicious, but his bat ears perked in interest; what was he protecting, Hyleana had to wonder?

"Who sent you?" Hyleana could tell that he wasn't going to give up until he knew she wasn't a snoop. At the very least, she deducted, being Alliance didn't mean anything. "A mutual. His name is difficult to pronounce, I'd get it wrong." She shrugged. It was a lame excuse, she knew, but if she could look honest enough, she might be able to get away with it.

After a few more odd moments of silence, the goblin seemed to somewhat deem her fit for business. "What can I do you for? I specialize in trade for furs, meats or really anything you have to offer." This, she tried not to smirk, was something she could catch him with. "What about weapons?" she asked. If she could look like an arms dealer, she might be able to get into the grit of his situation.

A light burned in his eyes. "Come in my tent and we'll talk." He offered. The tent was small, but there was a large living area. It was well furnished enough to be noted as expensive, but not enough to be taken as permanent. _He could flee at any moment... _She kept tabs to herself. "So what kind of weapons are you looking to sell?" he asked her, sitting on a large, furred rug made of some unknown beast.

"The better question is what sort of weapons are you looking to buy?" She smiled and sat down in front of him, playing her role rather well. "Anything. If it's used, I won't even ask which faction it came from. All I care about is selling it." The goblin smirked. "Really?" her eyes widened as she kept marks on what he said, figuring that she was closer to the truth. "I guess I'm not used to this sort of thing. Arms dealing where the producer doesn't matter?" she asked. The goblin shook his shagged head and smiled. "I gotta make a livin' somehow. Everyone's gotta thing they need to do to survive right? I'm sure a night elf selling weapons to a goblin wouldn't have any reservations on that!"

He had her there, and perhaps that showed to much of her true identity. She decided to cover her mistake as smoothly as she could. "Well, you have me there. I've sold to the Horde faction under other circumstances, but it doesn't mean they don't ask me where I got the product." She casually shrugged her shoulders and kept her eyes keen on her target.

"Fair enough. Welp! Sell me what you got!" he sighed as he stretched out his back as it cracked in protest. Thinking quickly, she listed off the different bows, guns and swords that she could "sell" to him; she was thankful for her knowledge in weaponry at this point. "Sounds like a nice bunch. Used or clean?"

"Some are slightly used, but not too bad." She nodded. "Good. Yeah, if you bring them in I can take a look and see what I can buy off of you." He shrugged. She noticed that the goblin seemed tired, as though something more pressing was going on. Not to mention, he seemed to want her gone. A goblin shooing away a customer? She knew something was wrong.

"I was also hoping maybe you could show me some of your goods as well. Do you have any goblin technology for sale?" she asked. "I could use something that'll allow me to hunt more effectively." She noted as she pet Haru, who'd been laying beside her. The goblin's eyes narrowed at her mention of goblin technology, but only slightly. Had he figured her to be a spy? "I know it sounds weird, but believe me, I don't have no huntin' tech for ya." The goblin dismissed. "If you want other arms, tell me and then maybe we can talk."

A noise startled the three sitting in the tent; Hyleana could have sworn it was a sneeze from a small creature. Haru growled and located where the sound had come from. Grabbing her bow off her back, she aimed it at the goblin as Haru neared a large trunk at the back of the tent. "Is there someone else in here?" she was ready to shoot. "I swear there isn't!" the goblin hissed. "Get that scrappy cat away from the trunk!" he yelled.

"Why? What's in it?" she knew her cover was blown, but she needed to make sure that at the very least she got what she needed. "Please just don't go in there!" Haru yowled and Hyleana's sensitive ears swore she heard a small response come from the trunk. "Please!" the goblin begged, but he seemed more desperate than angry.

Against his wishes, she walked towards the container while keeping her bow aimed at him and her dangerous eyes attentive. It was loosely closed, so she kicked it open with ease, however the weight of it surprised her. Looking in, two large blue eyes peered up at her. "What the..." she trailed off as she slightly lowered her bow.

A small gnome woman was cowering in the trunk, her layered pink hair splayed all over the place. "Lymkin!" The goblin cried. "Ryney!" she squeaked and sat up to look at him. Lowering her bow, she could tell that there was no hostility between the two. "What is this?" she turned to the goblin. "She's a gnome, duh! Now leave her alone!" Ryney moved to grab weapon but Hyleana was swift to send a warning shot his way. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Ryney!" the gnome called again. "Please don't hurt him! He's not doing anything wrong!" Hyleana cast a suspicious look at the gnome, but lowered her weapon once more. "You better explain to her!" the small woman chirped to the goblin. He gave an annoyed and deadly look to the night elf, but Hyleana could only guess as to why. What exactly was going on here?


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

After a few careful moments, the three found themselves sitting in a small circle. The hostility was still thick in the air, but it was mostly coming from Ryney by this point. The gnome sat unusually close to the goblin, and Hyleana tried to keep her wits about her. "Lymkin is my wife." Ryney finally stated with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head.

"We met a little less than a year ago... She wanted to learn more about goblin technology and I wanted to see what the gnomes were up to. But to be honest, that's not the entire reason why we ever got together in the first place. In reality, she originally started to help me on my own personal journey.

"Goblins have never taken the moral ground. Maybe that's why our technology can go places that gnome's never can. We not only put ourselves in dangerous positions, but I gotta tell ya, we really don't mind putting other people in it instead. My sister was captured by some jackasses from a different cartel, but I don't know which one. It was in the middle of the night after we'd settled down in Ashara after being a part of a caravan for a while. I know it was goblins though, believe me the place was a mess. I'd been out trying to get some work done and well..." The goblin sighed sadly and looked as though he didn't want to pursue the issue any further.

"Anyways... I've been looking for her ever since. It's been almost two years since she went missing, but I know she's gotta be somewhere here in Azeroth. I was in Winterspring when I met Lymkin. She was visiting and was trying to find a partner who'd be willing to work with a gnome... Unfortunately, I think it goes without saying that we goblins don't like our gnome competition.

"But I saw it as an opportunity. Sure my technology might be able to get me pretty far and go places other's cant, but that doesn't mean that gnome's technology is _complete_ shit." Lymkin punched his arm at his accusation. "What you want me to say babe? It's amazing? I mean, who the hell puts safety features on a jet pack?" he shrugged, looking less than apologetic at his wife.

"Anyways," he turned back to their stunned guest. "I said I'd help her _improve_ her work if she'd help me. There wasn't much of a big fiasco since we went undercover about our work... But when feelings got involved it got a little more serious than that..."

Lymkin now spoke, "Mixed couples aren't exactly accepted in total, but being in different factions..." she trailed off. "I understand." Hyleana laughed lightly, hiding the fact that she was one person who knew more that anything what that meant. "When we came to the Outlands, we had to be really under wraps. Lymkin could get into some serious trouble since the Horde pretty much seeps into this place. I take it you're a spy, yeah? From who?"

Hyleana saw no value in lying to the goblin now. "The Earthen Ring. One of their members was concerned that you might be working for the Horde." The goblin didn't seem upset, but rather reacted as though the information was expected. "I don't blame them. Technically, I have no faction. Not only have I abandoned 'Horde' ideals by marrying Lymkin, but I've also abandoned goblin society as well. But that doesn't mean that I'm not selling weapons to them. My technology, however, is strictly for the Earthen Ring."

"I won't let him sell it to the Horde or the Alliance." Lymkin piped up. "Mutual factions seem to want to focus on other things. The reason his technology outweighs normal goblin tech is simply because it has gnome _improvements_." Her jibe made the goblin give a sour expression, but he seemed to agree that working together had lead to an improvement in their field of study.

"Thing is, Alliance members don't come around here as often as you think. And the Horde believes that I'm working for them. That's why it's dangerous for Lymkin. The Earthen Ring gets what ever they want with no money really asked. They just trade from time to time with essentials that we need, like food. But I'm a goblin, and a goblin has to make money somehow. So I have to sell arms and other things to the Horde just so that I can fund our travels. It cost a damn arm and leg just for us to get to the Outlands! Word was that a slave trader was selling goblin slaves up here. Even if it's just a _chance_, I need to know if my sister was here.

"But working for the Horde isn't easy. That's why I have to hide Lymkin at any cost. Even if it's from the Alliance. They can be just as harsh, and don't tell me you don't know that." He pointed his finger accusingly at Hyleana. The night elf simply nodded in acknowledgement knowing that at times the Alliance had been seedy. "So you've just been trying to protect her, not some sort of shoddy business?" Her question was more of a statement as she watched the couple inch closer to each other. "Yeah! I don't care about those Horde losers! They're not helping me find my sister and neither are those Alliance bozos either!" He clenched his fist in anger and his eyes seemed to fog over as though he were remembering the disgusting memories of his failed attempts to seek help.

"But why not ask the Earthen Ring to help you? Or at least keep an eye out for you?" she asked. Lymkin shook her head, "We could never do that! They're too focused on saving the Outlands. The Earthen Ring wouldn't even see the slave trades anyways. The traders are too good at hiding it from neutrals." Hyleana nodded and got up to leave.

"I will only tell my employer of what I've seen tonight. Rest assured, no one will disturb you. But tell me, what does your sister look like?" she asked the goblin. "She's about Lymkin's size... She's had short black hair and always wore a pink clip shaped like a cat... I don't know if the traders would let her keep it though. Tibexie Fizzlepop. That's her name, don't wear it out." He added with a sad smile. "Will you keep an eye out for her?" Lymkin asked. "I will try." Hyleana smiled, recalling her brief slavery and Grothos's prolonged torture as she left the tent with her saber at her side.


End file.
